New Intelligence
by scoobydoobydude
Summary: AU! Callie and Jude's parents were both in the Marines and were KIA. After being in foster care for a short time, Callie and Jude were taken and trained to be secret agents. But, they can't stand the thought of betraying their country, so they decide to make a drastic decision. The story will be better than the summary! Please give it a chance! Rated T for now, may change later.
1. New Intelligence

**This story is REALLY AU. It is taking place in Washington D.C. instead of San Diego. Jude and Callie went into the foster system at 4 and 6 when their parents, both of whom were in the Marine Corps, were KIA. They were later taken to a secret anti-American agency called New Intelligence. They were then trained alongside many other kids and became two of the best operatives in the world. Callie's code name is Alpha and Jude's is Bravo. I'll explain later why they have those names. Also, I am borrowing some characters from NCIS for a few chapters. The rest of the Fosters clan will come into play in a few chapters. I hope you enjoy this story! This plot has been running through my mind for several weeks so I decided to start writing it. Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable and no characters.**

 **Callie's POV**

"Alpha… wake up! God, you sleep like the freaking dead!" Jude's voice penetrated my deep sleep. His voice was a harsh whisper and he shook me slightly. "Alpha! Ugh! Wake the hell up!" He gave me one final shove and my eyes shot open.

"Bravo, what the hell do you want? Today is Friday. You don't have to be awake until 0900 hours." I checked my watch. It was nearly 0700 hours. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. They slowly adjusted to the dark barracks around me. My agents were all sleeping soundly, but we spoke quietly so we would not wake them.

"Today's the day. Did you get approved leave?" Jude ducked his head so he wouldn't hit it on the top bunk and made himself comfortable at the end of my bed.

"Yeah, I'm approved. I leave at 0800 hours." I looked into my brother's eyes and saw a glimpse of the little boy I used to know. The boy that would smile all day and laugh at the smallest things. I hadn't heard his laugh in years… "Remember, cops are going to be swarming this place. You need to remind the others to not resist. You lay your weapons down as soon as they come in the door. I know that it's going to be instinct to fight, but you all need to surrender, okay?" I waited for him to nod until I continued. "I'm going to inform whoever I talk to that anyone not holding a weapon is to be unharmed."

"Callie… I'm scared." Jude grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. Our eyes met and I know my face was plastered with surprise. Jude had not called me by my given name for nearly two years. I've been Alpha and he's been Bravo since we were promoted to Operatives. "I know we were trained to not be scared, but I am. And I'm sorry." His eyes became wet and he fought back the tears. No matter how hard our trainers pushed us to be stone-cold assassins, Jude could not lose his sensitive side.

"Everything will be fine. I'm going to go get ready and then brief the commander." I tousled his hair and sent him back to his bunk.

I silently went to the bathroom and quickly got ready for my day. After my shower, I pulled my hair into a tight bun and put on black cargo pants, a dark grey t-shirt, and a black coat. I holstered my main gun on my right hip, my backup on my left ankle, and strapped my knife to my other hip. I made my way back to the barracks and grabbed my backpack that had everything I would need for my "mission". I walked down to Commander Doran's office and knocked.

"Enter." She said plainly. I opened the door and stood at attention, waiting for her command. "At ease, Alpha."

I relaxed and took a seat in the chair across from her desk. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" I hated the way they made us talk. I hated how military we were even though we were completely against anything and everything about the United States military. She nodded and I continued. "I will be leaving at 0800 hours but I am unsure of my time of return. I will be scouting the perimeter of the navy yard looking for weaknesses for our first attack." I inwardly shuddered at the word _attack_.

"Are you armed?" She looked at me with genuine concern in her eyes. "I can't have my leader getting injured or caught in a bad situation."

"Yes, ma'am. My 9 millimeter is on my hip and my Ruger LCP is on my ankle. And I brought my knife just for good measure. All of my proper documentation is in my bag, so if I happen to be stopped no suspicions will be raised." I felt a sudden urge to tell my commander what I was really going to be doing on this mission. I hated lying to her, but it was for the best. I couldn't tell her that I was about to betray everything she had ever taught me. But I couldn't help destroy the country my parents died protecting.

"Okay, well good luck. Call me personally if you find yourself in any kind of trouble. I will have Bravo handle your duties for the day." She smiled at me weakly and then did something unexpected. Commander Doran crossed over to me and embraced me tightly. "Be safe, Callie." She pulled back and gently caressed my face. She stepped away and switched back to her normal self. "Dismissed." Her words were plain once again as she went back to her work.

I walked outside of the agency and stopped to think about what had just happened. Since I'd arrived at New Intelligence, Commander Doran was the closest thing I had to a mother. She took a special liking to Jude and me, unlike the other agents. We were very close, but she'd never initiated any physical contact except for a handshake or a pat on the back; not even when she visited me in the hospital when I dislocated my shoulder in hand-to-hand combat practice. I so badly wanted to abort my true mission and do what I told her I was doing. But, I had to put an end to New Intelligence. It was corrupt and was going to bring the United States to its knees. I wiped the tears that were forming in my eyes away and started to walk towards the navy yard. I stopped before leaving New Intelligence grounds and looked up to the windows of the barracks. Jude leaned against the window and waved goodbye to me. I smiled up at him and tried to silently tell him that I would be back for him.

Thirty minutes later I was on the perimeter of the navy yard. I sat down on a bench and unloaded my backpack. I took out a smaller bag and put all of my weapons in it. I knew it would be suspicious if I brought two guns and a knife in with me, so I stashed the bag in some bushes. I put all of my New Intelligence papers and badge back in my book bag along with the attack plans of the navy yard. I checked my watch: nearly 0900 hours. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. I was about to betray the people who had raised me for the majority of my life. I loved all of them even though they had turned me into a ruthless killer. Shaking off my worries and nervousness, I stood and walked into the navy yard. I went through several security checks, but finally arrived to my destination: NCIS headquarters. I stepped inside the building and walked up to a receptionist.

"Can I help you, sweetie?" The old woman from behind the desk asked me. She was very sweet and was like what I thought a grandmother would act like.

"Yeah, I need to talk to an NCIS agent. It's really important." My palms started to sweat and I rubbed them on my pants as I spoke. Before the receptionist could answer, a younger woman came up next to me.

"I am Special Agent Ziva David. Can I help you?" She had very kind eyes and smiled a little at me.

I couldn't think of the right thing to say, so I just gave her a pleading look. I was always very good at making myself look very innocent.

"Rose, can I have a visitor's pass please?" Ziva reached her hand out and Rose, the receptionist, handed her a lanyard with a laminated card on it. "Here, put this on." She handed me the pass and I slipped it around my neck. "Come on upstairs with me."

We walked to an elevator and rode up several floors in complete silence. The doors opened and revealed an open floor area with several group offices. We walked to the center office.

"You can put your things at my desk if you would like." Ziva tried to take my bag from me, but I held onto it.

"No, I need it." I said kind of sharply. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just need what's in it."

The elevator doors opened again and two men walked towards us arguing.

"Tony, McGee! Would you stop arguing for two minutes?!" Ziva snapped at the men and they shared an annoyed glare. "We have a visitor," she motioned to me. "And I am sure that Gibbs would not want you to make her feel uncomfortable."

"I'm okay, really." I tried to reassure the two men that they weren't annoying me.

"Hey, I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. Are you here on a field trip?" One of the men came over and stood in front of me. He was wearing very nice suit and was extremely attractive. Well attractive for a guy that was fifteen years older than me.

"No, I'm not here for a field trip. More like… official business." My cheeks flushed and I looked down at my feet.

"Yeah… why don't we go up to the conference room so we can talk?" Ziva put a gentle hand on my back and ushered me towards the stairs. "Tell Gibbs to meet me up there when he can, okay?" She turned her attention to Tony, who nodded in agreement.

We walked to the upper level of the building and entered a room with a big table and several office chairs.

"Who's Gibbs?" I asked.

"Gibbs is my boss. He should be up here soon." Ziva pulled out a note pad and a pen. "So, what brought you here today?"

I opened my book bag and pulled out all of the papers. "There is going to be an attack on the navy yard in one week from today. I'm the only chance you have at stopping it."

 **So, how are you liking this so far? I know that it is** ** _really_** **far out there and totally different than anything on this site, but that's why I chose to write it. For those of you who don't know, Alpha and Bravo are the first two letters of the military alphabet. And this isn't going to be a crossover with NCIS, but some of the characters will be in this story for a little bit. So, sorry if you don't know that show! Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think!**


	2. Trust Me

**Wow! Loving all of the response! I really wasn't sure if you were going to like this idea or not!**

 **Ziva's POV**

"There is going to be an attack on the navy yard in one week from today. I'm the only chance you have at stopping it." The young girl sat across from me in the conference room and spoke with such certainty and such authority. I am sure the shocked expression on my face did nothing to calm how nervous she was.

I started to respond to her, but I realized she had not told me her name. "Um, what is your name?"

I am guessing that my response was not the one she was looking for because her face was full of confusion. "My name is Callie. I don't have a last name…" She looked at her hands and twiddled her fingers.

"Okay, Callie, how do you know there is going to be an attack?" I wrote down some notes on my notepad and then looked back up to the frightened girl.

"Because I helped plan it." She pushed some blueprints in front of me.

"These are layouts of the navy yard." I shuffled through the papers. "And the major buildings, like Quantico, NCIS, the armory. Where did you get these?"

"I have a lot of explaining to do and not a lot of time. So please just listen closely. I'm going to give you the shortened version so you're going to have some questions. I'll try to answer them all later, but right now I just need you to know the basics."

"Okay. Start whenever you are ready." I made myself more comfortable. I knew we were going to be there for a while.

"My parents, both Marines, were killed in action when I was six years old. My brother and I had no other family so we were placed into foster care. One day, our foster parents took us to the police station and left us there. A female officer talked to us briefly and then went to go call our social worker. But, before he could get there, some people showed up and took us. We were taken to a warehouse complex in the middle of nowhere. It is a secret agency called New Intelligence." She pushed a badge in front of me. I picked up the gold plate and examined it closely. If it was flashed at anyone it could easily have been mistaken for any government agency. "We were trained with a bunch of other kids in everything you can think of: academics, hand-to-hand combat, forensics, weapons training, and more. After we were all acclimated to our new lives, we were transferred to a new building in the District. We have been planning our first attack for years."

"The attack on the navy yard?" I asked.

She nodded quickly. "The commander said that it had to be perfect. That's why it has taken so long to plan. These papers have everything you need to know about the attack."

"If you are a part of this agency, why are you warning us of the attack?"

"Because my parents died protecting this country. I hate what I have been turned into. New Intelligence needs to be destroyed. My brother and I have recruited a group of agents that agree with us and we have decided to surrender." Callie scooted closer to the table and leaned towards me. "Are you going to help me?"

"I'm going to do everything I can. How do we stop them?" I got out of my seat and sat in the one right next to Callie. I could tell that she was very anxious and I wanted her to know that I was there for her.

"Well, it's not going to be easy. I will have to go with you to even get you on the property. I can disable the security cameras and then use my access code to get you in the building. You're going to need as many agents and soldiers as you can get your hands on. Everyone in that building is highly trained. They _will not_ go down without a fight. But, the group my brother and I have assembled will surrender immediately. I've instructed them to lay their weapons down as soon as we enter the building. They will be laying on their stomachs with their hands on their heads. Just… please don't hurt them." Callie looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"I promise that they won't be hurt." I placed my hand on her shoulder and she flinched immediately. There was a knock at the door and Gibbs entered.

Callie stood quickly. Gibbs looked at her curiously. "At ease." Callie relaxed and her hard expression softened. "You are way too young to be in the Corps. Are your parents?" Gibbs motioned for her to sit and she eagerly obliged.

"They used to be. Killed in Afghanistan ten years ago. You?"

"Gunnery Sergeant, Desert Storm." Gibbs smiled at Callie and handed her a water. "You thirsty?"

"Thanks." Callie opened the bottle and took a small sip.

"Gibbs, this is Callie. She has informed us of a planned attack on the navy yard that is to take place in one week from today." I slid him my notes, but he didn't even look at them.

"I know." He stated plainly. He turned his attention back to Callie and gave her the "Gibbs stare".

Callie looked around the room and locked her eyes on the surveillance camera in the corner. "You've been watching us." She smiled at Gibbs. "So, are you going to take down New Intelligence?" Callie looked back and forth between Gibbs and myself with wide expectant eyes.

"Well, we need to talk first. How do I know that this isn't the real attack? What if you are just coming to tell us this to get us to go in the building where we will be ambushed?" Gibbs asked.

"Because then New Intelligence will be known about. We are under the radar. No one knows about us. If you searched all over D.C. you would never find our headquarters. We're invisible. This is not a trick. I give you my word!"

"Ziva, hallway. Now." Gibbs picked up the folder and made a quick exit for the hall. He shut the door behind us and whispered quietly to me. "Is she telling the truth? I can't get a good read on her. I want to believe her but…" He trailed off and shook his head.

"I believe that she is telling the truth. She came in here terrified, like she was being watched. From what I can tell, she is betraying the people who have been her family for the last ten years. Gibbs, there is no way that this girl is trying to trick us. The threat is real. And we have to take the chance to put an end to this rogue agency." I looked up into my boss's conflicted eyes and tried to reassure him that this girl was on our side.

He sighed deeply and rubbed his brow. "Okay. This girl, Callie, she trusts you. Go back in there and gather every single bit of information you can about this New Intelligence agency. I'm going to alert the director and get the National Guard here. We will have a briefing in one hour. We're going in, and we're going in _today_." Gibbs took off towards Director Vance's office.

As soon as I opened the door, Callie was on her feet. "What's going on? Is it happening?" Worry filled her voice and tears were forming in her eyes.

"Take a seat. Agent Gibbs is informing our director of the situation right now. We will be moving in today. But, right now, I need you to tell me everything you can about the layout of the building, the people, and most importantly, the weapons."

A small smile made its way onto Callie's face. "Okay, well, everything you need to know about the layout is right here in the blueprints. Depending on the time you decide to go in, I can tell you exactly where everyone in the entire building will be. Today is Friday and Friday is our off day from weapons training. All of our heavy artillery has been sent to a private corporation for cleaning and maintenance so they are ready for next week. But, everyone will have their personal weapons: a handgun, either 45 caliber or 9 millimeter. The majority of the people there are the agents. There are a wide variety of ages. The youngest is eleven years old and I'm the oldest at sixteen. We are all highly trained and are expert killers. The trainers have today off, so the building will be lightly secured. Commander Doran, who is basically our boss, will be in her office. If there is a breach in security, she will lock the door and go to the inner room. There is a trap door behind her bookcase that leads to a small, soundproof room. But, I can hack into the security system for her office and get us in."

"Okay, this is all very helpful, Callie. How many children are in there?" I dreaded the answer, but I had to know.

"Around one hundred. But, I can get them all out alive." I looked at her quizzically. "Jude and I are the best of the best in NI. We are the highest commanding officers and the two operatives that the agency has. Everyone else, besides the trainers and Commander Doran, must listen to our commands. After I cut off the surveillance cameras I'll go in and then I can subdue the guards that are on duty today without raising any suspicions. I'll inject them with a tranquilizer and then cuff them so they are unable to get away if they happen to wake up while we are still in there."

"No, that is way too dangerous. What if your true motives are discovered?" I shook my head at the young girl, already dreading what was going to come of this day.

"I am the highest in command. The guards trust me. They will let me get close to them and I'll be able to take them down. Please, Ziva, just trust me. It's the only chance we have at taking NI down."

"I'll have to clear it with Gibbs and the Director, but fine. What will happen next?"

"I'll come back out and give everyone the go ahead to come in. You will have to let me lead you. I'm guessing everyone will be in the barracks by the time we get there. I'll go in first and give my group the signal to surrender. The agents and soldiers will come in next. Countless weapons will be drawn, but no shots will be fired. I will command everyone to lay their weapons down and put their hands over their heads."

"What if someone does not comply?" I scribbled down some more notes.

"I will give them one more chance and if they do not follow orders… I'll shoot them."

"Callie…" I began but she cut me off.

"I won't kill them, just injure. And yes, I can promise you that my aim is _very_ accurate."

I sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Let's go downstairs to the squad room and wait for the briefing."

I led Callie down to the main floor and got her settled at my desk. Agents started to gather around and whispered softly of what they believed the briefing would be about.

Gibbs and Director Vance descended the stairs together and joined us. Director Vance quickly, but thoroughly, explained the mission we were about to embark on. He informed us that we would be leaving in exactly one hour and to go gather our gear.

After everyone left, Gibbs came over and squatted down next to Callie.

"So, just how good is your aim?" He gave her a little smirk which elicited a little smile from Callie.

"Let me show you!"

Twenty minutes and ten rapid shots later, the target Callie shot at came down the rail and shocked us all.

"Not too bad kid. Not bad at all!" Gibbs pulled the paper off the clip and laid it down on the table. Every shot was either to the head or chest.

"The kid is better that you McMiss!" Tony said playfully to McGee. "Maybe she could give you some pointers."

"McMiss? I thought your name was McGee?" Callie asked, confused.

"Yeah, uh, Tony thinks it's funny to make a play on words with my last name every chance he gets." Tim explained.

"And it's hilarious!" Tony tried to give Callie a high five but she stood completely still.

"I wouldn't say hilarious. More like… juvenile!" She replied with a smirk on her face. Gibbs and McGee erupted into laughter and the smile on Tony's face disappeared and was replaced with an embarrassed grimace.

"The SWAT team and National Guard just arrived. Let's move out people!" Director Vance called out. Everyone sprang into action. Agents holstered their guns, strapped on bullet proof vests, and put in earpieces. We made our way to the cars and placed Callie in the middle of McGee and myself in the backseat.

"Wait! I don't have my weapons. It will be very suspicious if I go in unarmed." Callie announced.

"Where are they?" Gibbs stared at her from the rear-view mirror.

"Just off base. There is a bench across the street with a bunch of bushes behind it. They are stashed there."

Gibbs radioed that we had to make a quick detour to retrieve Callie's weapons. The SWAT commander replied and said they would have everyone standby until we returned. He then pulled out of the garage and parked on the street across from the bench that Callie described. She quickly climbed out of the car and pulled a small black bag from the bushes. She strapped a handgun to her right hip, a large knife to her other hip, and a small backup gun to her ankle. After she was back in the car, Gibbs radioed for everyone else to pull out.

 **Callie's POV**

Agent Gibbs drove as I gave him directions from the backseat. I pulled a medicine bag out of my backpack and prepared four syringes with the tranquilizer: one for each guard.

"Okay, this is as close as you can get before we are spotted by the cameras. Stay here. I'm going to shut down the cameras and replace the live feed with a pre-recorded loop. Then I am going in to subdue the guards. I'll be back in five minutes. If I'm not, move in anyway." I started to get out but Ziva stopped me.

"Wait, you need to put on the bullet proof vest." She reached behind her and handed me a black vest.

"Ziva, if she wears that thing in there now, she'll stick out like a sore thumb. She'll get it after she comes back for us." Gibbs explained. Ziva's face turned bright red with embarrassment. I could tell that she felt dumb for suggesting it. McGee let me out of the car and I squatted down next to it. I pulled out my laptop and hacked the cameras so the recorded loop showed on the monitors. Finally, I made my way onto New Intelligence property.

Once I got to the door, I shoved the syringes in my pocket and typed in my security code. The doors opened and I headed in the direction of the first guard. I had their movements memorized. Fridays were the weakest days. Only four guards patrolled and their paths never intersected.

I rounded a corner and I saw my first target. I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled off the cap that protected the needle.

"Hey Alpha! How was your scouting mission? Did you get some good info?" The guard, Henry, slowed to talk to me.

"Yeah, it was good! Plenty of intel!" I stepped closer. "And I'm really sorry about this." I stabbed Henry in the leg with the needle and pushed the tranquilizer into him. He was unconscious immediately. I pulled a pair of handcuffs out of my bag and secured him to the railing.

One down, three to go.

 **Hope you liked this chapter! I think the next chapter is going to be very exciting. What do you think is going to happen? Will everyone make it out alive? Leave me some reviews and let me know what your predictions are!**


	3. Raid

**Callie's POV**

After the last guard was tranquilized and cuffed, I hurried out to wear Agent Gibbs and his team were waiting.

"All the guards are down and I heard everyone in the barracks. We're good to move in now." I leaned over to catch my breath.

" _Now_ you need to put this on." Ziva handed me the protective vest and helped me strap it on.

"Okay, everyone listen up!" Gibbs yelled to the crowd of agents and soldiers. "I know that this seems off, but Callie here is in charge. You do not break formation without her say so. If she says stop, you stop and if she says go, you go. Get in formation and shut your mouths." He turned around to me and made sure my vest was tightly secured. "You ready kid?"

I nodded and zipped up my coat so the vest couldn't be seen. "Commander Doran is in her office so we won't have to worry about her. Okay, let's move out."

I walked up to the door with an army behind me. I punched in my code and led everyone inside. We walked past the first two guards who were still unconscious. We were just outside the doors to the barracks so I signaled behind me for everyone to wait where they were. I opened the doors and everyone inside snapped to attention.

"At ease, everyone." I searched the room for Jude and locked eyes with him when I found him. I scratched my forehead, giving the group the signal to surrender. They pulled their weapons out of their holsters and laid them on the ground. Then, they put their hands on their head and laid on their stomachs.

"Alpha, what the hell is going on?" Foxtrot, sixth in command, questioned.

"Shut your mouth Foxtrot. I did NOT give you permission to speak freely." I snapped at him. Foxtrot was always getting written up for insubordination. He didn't like the fact that he had to answer to a woman.

I drew my weapon and slowly backed up to push the doors open. Agents Gibbs, David, DiNozzo, and McGee entered first with their weapons drawn, followed by everyone else. Immediately, all of the New Intelligence agents drew their weapons and aimed them at the men and women behind me.

"Stand down everyone! Place your weapons on the ground and put your hands on your head. Do not move. Failure to comply will be met with _serious_ complications." I commanded. The NI agents looked at each other and one-by-one started to surrender. Foxtrot, on the other hand, did not move an inch.

"Foxtrot! I said stand down! Put your weapon on the ground, now!" I aimed my weapon directly at the boy.

"You've betrayed us, Alpha! How dare you?!" He aimed his weapon at my chest and took two strides forward. "You are supposed to be our leader!"

"Evan, I do not want to hurt you. You know that I will fire this weapon on you if I have to!" I pleaded with the young boy. He was fourteen years old and one of the best agents NI had. He looked at me with a completely shocked look when I used his real name.

"I am Foxtrot, not Evan! That name was put to rest when I was promoted to my command position. You should know that better than anyone, Alpha!" Evan moved closer.

"I am giving you one more chance to surrender!" I, too, took a step closer to my agent. He gripped his weapon tighter.

"I can't do that." His face softened, like it always did right before he fired his weapon. But, luckily, I was faster than him. I fired once and hit him in the shoulder. He screamed in pain and dropped his gun. Jude was right next to him and grabbed it before Evan could recuperate. He fell to the ground and gripped his injured shoulder tightly.

"Take those who are standing into custody." I holstered my weapon and began putting restraints on my agents. Jude gathered weapons and unloaded them into a bag. He secured them with zip ties and put them in a separate box.

"Those who were not in your surrender-group have been restrained and are now being taken to the transport vehicles." Ziva rested a hand on my shoulder.

I stared off into space as those who I considered my brothers and sisters were led out of the building. "What is going to happen to them now?"

"They will be questioned and most likely taken to a secure facility." Ziva answered.

I wiped the tears from eyes. "Take those who surrendered to NCIS. I need to speak to all of them about something." I sighed and remembered that we still had to deal with Commander Doran. "Okay, we have to go to the Commander's office now. It would be best if it was just me, you, and the rest of your team."

Tony, Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva nodded and followed me down a long corridor that led to Doran's office. I knelt next to the door and pulled my laptop out of my bag. I knew she heard the gunshot and would be in the inner room. I hacked into her personal security system and unlocked the door that led to her office. Gibbs opened the door quickly and moved in to clear the room.

"It's clear." He whispered. "Is she in the inner room?"

I nodded and walked into her office. The safe in her wall was open and empty. She had her weapon on her. "It's completely soundproof. She can't hear anything we're saying."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" McGee questioned. "Shouldn't she be able to hear us and we not be able to hear what happens in that room?"

"Yeah, well the people who put her new office together screwed up and switched it by accident. They were supposed to come tomorrow and fix it." I explained. I walked over to the bookcase and pulled back a book that revealed a number pad. "Once I open this, I need you all to stay out of view. I can take her down by myself."

"How? Is she really that trusting of you?" Tony leaned against the wall and adjusted the wire in his ear.

"Well, she is either going to surrender or die." I quickly typed in her security code and the bookcase slid to the side. "Commander Doran! Please come out with your hands over your head! I do not want to hurt you!" I called into the small room.

"Alpha? What the hell is this?" She asked from the inside.

"Just please comply! You can walk out of here alive!" When I received no answer, I stepped into the opening and came face-to-face with Commander Doran. We fixed our weapons on each other.

"I had a feeling that you would never stay loyal to the agency. You and your piss-ant of a brother were too proud of this damn country! I should never have chosen two children from a military family. Look where it got me!" She stepped away from the back wall but kept her gun trained on my chest.

"I'm sorry, Commander. You have been so good to me over the past ten years. But, I love this country. I couldn't help you destroy it. Put your weapon on the ground and place your hands on top of your head. This ends today, ma'am."

"You're right. It does!" Commander Doran began firing shots at me. Three hit me in the chest, but were stopped by the bullet proof vest. The fourth hit me in my upper arm. I opened fire on her and put two in her chest and one in her head. Once she dropped to the ground, I collapsed. Gibbs rushed in and kicked the gun away from Doran's hand. He checked her pulse, but it was obvious that she was dead. Blood poured out of my arm and I wanted to scream in pain.

"Callie!" Ziva holstered her weapon and dropped down next to me. She put pressure on my wound and rested my head on her lap. "Callie, you need to keep your eyes open. Come on kid! Stay with me!"

"I'll be fine." My words were raspy and I know they were unconvincing. "It's just a flesh wound…" I closed my eyes and slipped into unconsciousness."

 **Sorry this chapter is so short! But, the raid of New Intelligence isn't supposed to be the meat of this story. I still really like this chapter though! I know that some of the names are weird: like Alpha, Bravo, and Foxtrot. But they are just part of the military alphabet. I'm going to post an informative chapter of things you may need to know to follow the story better.**


	4. Important Information

**Military Alphabet**

A- Alpha

B- Bravo

C- Charlie

D- Delta

E- Echo

F- Foxtrot

G- Golf

H- Hotel

I- India

J- Juliet

K- Kilo (pronounced key-low)

L- Lima (pronounced lee-mah)

M- Mike

N- November

O- Oscar

P- Papa

Q- Quebec (pronounced keh-beck)

R- Romeo

S- Sierra

T- Tango

U- Uniform

V- Victor

W- Whiskey

X- X-ray

Y- Yankee

Z- Zulu

So, if you see any of these names throughout the story, just know that they are code names and refer to an agent in a command position. But, if there are several of them together in a sentence like "Tango Hotel Echo. Foxtrot Oscar Sierra Tango Echo Romeo Sierra" (The Fosters) it is a code. But I will go into more detail when it actually comes up in the story. Alpha (Callie) is first in command, Bravo (Jude) second in command, all the way down to Zulu who is twenty-sixth in command. The agents who are in command positions are the leaders of New Intelligence. They have their own teams and specialize in certain areas. Everyone in NI is referred to as an agent, but those in command positions have more specialized titles. Alpha-Zulu are all high-ranking agents and have been promoted to command. Alpha-Mike are highly trained assassins. But, Alpha and Bravo are Operatives. They are in control of everything and everyone. They are the best of the best. Operatives excel in all areas of New Intelligence: academics, combat, weapons handling, forensics, military knowledge, medical knowledge, and computer science. I hope this clears up any confusion! If there is anything else you think I should be clearer on, don't hesitate to let me know! I want this story to be amazing!


	5. Just Jude

**Okay, sorry about the weird format of this before. I'm really sure what happened! Just a little side note, hemophilia is a blood disease where your blood doesn't clot well and you bleed easily/for a long time. You'll see why that is relevant later in the chapter!**

 **Jude's POV**

After the NI agents were secured and taken out of the building, those of us who were in the surrender group were being loaded into a transfer vehicle so we could be questioned about New Intelligence information. Foxtrot was laying on the sidewalk with a soldiers putting pressure on his would. I smiled inwardly; I never liked Evan. All of the surrenderers had to be restrained, just in case, and I was next in line when an older man came running out of the building with blood on his hands.

"Where is Jude?! I need him now!" His eyes searched our faces quickly.

"I'm Jude!" I jumped out of line and stood in front of him. "What's wrong? Is Callie hurt?"

"Jude, my name is Agent Gibbs. I need you to come with me." He put a strong hand on my shoulder, but stopped when he saw the zip tie restraints on my wrists. "Hold still." Agent Gibbs pulled out a large knife and cut off the restraints.

We ran in the building and towards Commander Doran's office. Callie was laying on the ground with blood pouring out of her arm and the Commander was dead on the floor of the inner room.

"Callie! Oh, God! What the hell happened?!" I locked eyes with the woman at Callie's side. I shoved her hands off of my sister's arm and replaced them with my own. I pushed my finger in the wound to help stop the bleeding.

"McGee, call and ambulance. We need to get her and the injured boy to the hospital immediately." Gibbs yelled at a young agent.

"Don't bother! They will never find this place. Just load everyone in the back of a car and I can get you to the hospital. And it will take too much time to wait for the ambulance." I didn't take my eyes off of my sister's face. It was pale and she was beginning to shiver from blood loss.

"Okay, Ziva, you and Tony carry Callie to the car. Take her and Jude to the hospital." Gibbs said to the young woman kneeling next to Callie. "McGee and I will take the boy in another car and follow."

Gibbs and McGee ran out of the building to get Evan. Tony and Ziva lifted Callie into their arms and the three of us ran outside together. Ziva transferred Callie into Tony's arms completely and ran ahead of us to open the car door. I got in first and Tony laid Callie down with her head in my lap. I put more pressure on her arm, but blood continued to seep through my fingers.

Ziva jumped in the driver's seat and started the car. The engine roared to life and she peeled out of the driveway. I shouted out directions and looked behind to make sure Gibbs and McGee were following. A wave of relief washed over me when I locked eyes with Gibbs.

"Ziva, step on it! Her breathing is getting really shallow! She's loosing way to much blood!" I screamed. She slammed her foot to the floor and the car rocketed forward.

We finally arrived to the hospital and before Tony could come around the help me get Callie inside, I jumped out of the car and carried her inside myself. I guess adrenaline took over because I didn't even struggle.

"I need some help! Please, someone help me! My sister was shot in the arm and she's lost a ton of blood!" I laid my sister down on a gurney and helped the doctors wheel her into an examination room. "Her blood type is A positive and she has hemophilia. Please help her!"

"We'll take care of her, I promise. I need you to remove your hand from your sister's arm and go to the waiting room. Someone will be out soon to update you." An older nurse put her hand on my wrist and slowly pulled my hand away from Callie's wound. She led me out to the waiting area and then hurried back in to help with Callie's injuries.

"Jude, sweetie, come sit down." Ziva walked up to me and put a strong arm around my shoulders. She sat me down in a chair and started talking to me, but I spaced out.

I leaned back in the chair and ran my fingers through my hair, but then remembered that Callie's blood soaked my hands.

"Oh, um, I'll go see if there is a shower you can use." McGee ran up to the nurse's station and quickly returned. "Jude, if you want to come with me, I'll take you to an empty room where you can get cleaned up."

I nodded slowly and let him lead me down a long corridor. He pushed open a heavy door that led into a vacant hospital room.

"I'll go get some scrubs so you don't have to wear the same clothes." Agent McGee smiled weakly at me and left me to shower.

I entered the bathroom and turned on the water. I stripped down and put my clothes in a pile outside of the bathroom door. The water was scalding hot, but I could barely feel it. Physical pain stopped bothering me years ago. I scrubbed my hands clean of Callie's blood. I let the water fall over my head and watched as more of my sister's blood swirled down the drain. I quickly washed my hair and body and then shut the water off. I stepped out and dried off with a scratchy towel that was hanging on a rack. I wrapped it around my waist and stood in front of the mirror, examining myself. Scars from fights glowed bright red on my chest and bruises were starting to for from an altercation with Evan the day before. I thought back to when I first entered foster care and laughed at how small I was. I was destined to grow up scrawny and weak. But, New Intelligence made sure that didn't happen. My muscles were well defined and bulged out whenever I made the slightest movement. There was no one in NI that I couldn't beat in a fight. Well, except Callie.

I was pulled from my thoughts when someone knocked on the door. "Jude? You almost done?" Agent McGee called from the other side of the door.

"Uh, yeah! I just need to dry off more." I ran the thin towel through my hair and then re-wrapped it around my waist. I opened the door and took the clothes from McGee. "Thanks. I'll be out in a second." I shut the door again and dressed in the dark blue scrubs and long white socks. "Ready." I said as I opened the door. "Any word on Callie yet?"

"Yeah, actually the doctors came out right before I came back for you. They said that they got the bleeding to stop and that she will not need surgery. The bullet missed her bone." We walked back to where the rest of the NCIS team was waiting.

"What about Evan? Did he make it? He was bleeding really badly." I knew the shot Callie took wasn't lethal, but it could do some serious damage.

"Evan is fine. They had to take him to surgery though." Gibbs stood and ushered me to a seat next to him. "The doctors are preparing a room for Callie and then you can go see her."

"Thanks, Agent Gibbs." I stared down at my hands and ran my finger over a small scar on my palm. "Are you going to arrest me now?"

"Do I need to arrest you?"

"Well, I mean I was second-in-command in an anti-American agency. We were planning multiple attacks on major government buildings. That's treason and terroristic actions." I gulped down the lump that was forming in my throat.

"Jude, listen. You are not under arrest. First of all, you are a minor who was kidnapped and forced to work for these people. You didn't have a choice. And, second of all, you were in the group that surrendered. You are going to have to answer a lot of questions, but I see no reason to arrest you, your sister, or your fellow agents who surrendered." Gibbs patted me on the back.

"What about those who didn't surrender?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

"I'm not sure yet. But, I'm guessing there will be some consequences if they don't cooperate."

"Well, I have some information that could make it possible to not have to press charges." I sighed deeply. "When we were taken in by New Intelligence, there were hundreds of us. They slowly weeded out those who just weren't cut out for the program or who said multiple times that they were going to expose us. So, the NI doctors put a small chip in each of our brains. If it is activated, it has the ability to erase every memory from our time in New Intelligence. Not only can it erase memories, but it can create them too. Alternate lives were created for every kid who even stepped foot in the building. We were all foster kids so it wasn't hard to get our files and alter them."

"So, they kept adding new foster homes as needed? Like, if someone was only with New Intelligence for a month, maybe one foster home would be on record? And if they were there for years, like you and Callie, multiple homes were in your file?" Ziva said and sat on my other side.

"Correct. And the families who we supposedly "lived with" were agents within New Intelligence. Their only job was to confirm that the kids lived with them if they were ever questioned by a social worker or a cop. The cover goes so deep that the kids who were kicked out of NI were photo shopped into family pictures. New Intelligence is brilliant. They thought of everything."

"So, if we don't want to press charges, all we have to do is question the kids and then activate the chip?" Gibbs rubbed his forehead as he tried to comprehend what we were saying.

"Yeah. I'm guessing most of them will want their New Intelligence memories erased. That place was… messed up to say the least. But, some agents, like Evan, won't want to lose their training. But it will be in their best interest. At least they won't have to spend the rest of their lives in a secure government facility. If you can get me back to NI, I can activate the chips after you are done questioning everyone." I leaned back against the chair and closed my eyes. The day wasn't even half over but I was already so exhausted.

"Jude, do you know what Callie would have wanted to say to the group who surrendered? She asked us to take them all back to NCIS so she could talk to them." Gibbs leaned back and whispered quietly to me.

"Yeah, she was going to ask them if they wanted their chips activated. They all do, but I can talk to them to make sure."

"Family of Callie?" A young nurse stepped out of the trauma bay. He was holding a clipboard and smiled at me when I jumped out of my seat. "Follow me."

I walked with him down the hallway and he led me in a small room. Callie was laying in the bed with a large bandage on her left arm.

"Callie!" I ran to her side and took her hand in mine.

"Hey Bravo. You okay?" She searched my face for any sign of injury and sighed in relief when she found nothing.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Agent Gibbs said that they aren't pressing charges on us, so that's good. I told them about the chips and I'm going to activate them after they question everyone who didn't surrender. And I'll go talk to our group to see if they still want their activated too."

"Good. They'll go into the system though. I hope they get good homes." She closed her eyes and winced in pain. "Are you going to activate ours?"

I looked into my big sister's eyes and saw the conflict building behind them. "I can activate yours if you want, but I don't want fake memories."

"No, don't activate mine. It will be to our advantage to retain our training." She closed her eyes again. I could tell the sedatives were taking their toll on her.

"Go to sleep Callie. I'll be right here." I squeezed her hand tightly and let her know it was okay to let her guard down. She was asleep within seconds.

"Jude?" Ziva entered the room and stood behind me. "How is she?"

"She's hurting, but she'll be fine." I turned my attention back to Callie who was sleeping not-so-peacefully.

"I had to call social services. Did you know that there have been missing persons reports out for you and Callie since the day you were taken from the police station? Your social worker, Bill, has been looking for you two for ten years. He was so excited when he got our call." Ziva beamed at me.

"I remember Bill. He was nice. So what is going to happen to us? A foster home?" My stomach dropped at the thought of another foster home. "We were only in one foster home before we were taken, but it was complete hell." My words became quiet.

Ziva pulled up a chair next to me and leaned in close. "What happened?"

"They were drunks and didn't give a crap about us at all. The house was filthy, they hardly ever fed us, and… they didn't even take us to our parent's funeral." A tear slipped down my face but I quickly wiped it away.

"You didn't get to go at all?" Ziva's voice broke.

"No, we got to go. But there was a lot of screaming involved. My dad's friend from the Corps showed up at our foster home and demanded that our foster parents release us into his care for the day. They finally agreed, but when we got back… they beat us for 'causing them trouble'. Callie took most of it for me. I was only four and she was six, but she still knew that she had to protect me." I looked back at Callie. "I just wish I could have protected her today…"

Ziva pulled me towards her and enveloped me in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry you had to go through so many bad things, Jude. But, from what I can tell, the foster parents Bill found you are absolutely incredible." She leaned back and wiped a tear away from my face. "But, if it turns out that they are bad people, I want you to call me immediately; day or night, I will answer. I'll come get you and find you and Callie the best family out there."

I laughed a little. "Thanks Ziva, but I'm pretty sure Callie and I will be able to take care of ourselves now. We've been trained by the best. We can fend off drunk foster parents."

"I am sure that you can, but you need someone who is more than physically safe. You need people who love you. Listen, I have to go back to NCIS to question your fellow agents, but I will be back tomorrow to check on you two. And I'll bring you with me tomorrow so you can activate the chips and talk to your agents." She stood to leave, but turned around when she reached the door. "Remember, call me day or night." She winked at exited the room.

"Well, Alpha, it looks like we're back in the system. It's me and you… against the whole freaking world." I laid my head down on the bed and dozed off. I don't know how long I slept, but I was woken up to someone shaking my shoulder. I sprang into action and grabbed the person's arm and twisted it violently behind their back. I ran toward the wall and shoved them face-first into it.

"Jude! It's me, Bill!" My social worker screamed. I released him immediately and turned around to see a gun trained on my chest.

I raised my hands slowly and rested them on my head. "I'm sorry. It was just an instinct. I didn't mean to hurt him." I locked eyes with the police officer. She holstered her weapon and relaxed. "It's not broken or anything. It's just strained. Ice it and rest it for a few days. You'll be fine. And I'm really sorry Bill." I turned back around and helped Bill into the chair I'd been sleeping in.

"Well, this was an interesting first meeting." Bill grabbed his right shoulder and winced a little. "Jude, meet one of your foster mothers, Officer Stefanie Adams-Foster. Stef, meet your newest foster son, Jude."

I stuck out my right hand and she smiled sweetly at me as she shook it. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, you don't need to call me ma'am; Stef will be just fine!" She patted me softly on the back.

"So, Bill said you are _one_ of my foster moms? You have a wife, not a husband?" She nodded her head and I smiled a little. "Cool." I liked the idea of not having a foster dad. From the stories my agents told me, the foster dads were normally horrible.

"Her name is Lena and she should be here very soon. She is very excited to meet you and your sister." Stef turned and locked her eyes on Callie. "Is she doing okay?"

"Yes. It was a through-and-through gunshot wound. She'll be in pain for a while, but she will make a full recovery."

"Jude, some NCIS agents dropped off your and Callie's personal belongings at my office. They are in the bags by the door. You can go through them and see if there is anything missing." Bill stood up and retrieved the bags.

I opened them and quickly sorted through the items. All of our clothes, pictures, and things from our past were in the bags. "Yeah, I guess this is most of it."

"Most of it? What's missing? I can get Agent Gibbs to go back and get the rest." Bill said.

"No, you really can't." I looked up to him and Stef. Confusion was all over their faces. "I'm guessing this is everything they will let us have. We each have three personal guns and two personal knives. But, since they are weapons, I'm guessing they have been taken to NCIS headquarters. I mean, why would they let two kids keep dangerous weapons?"

"Yes, your weapons were taken to NCIS. They are being tested to see if… to see if they were used in any unsolved crimes." Bill looked at me sadly. "I can't believe how much you two have grown up. Its… absolutely amazing."

"Thanks, Bill. And I know they have to test them, but I promise you that the weapons were not used in any crimes." I looked into Stef's eyes and tried to reassure her that Callie and I would not be dangers to her family.

"Stef?" A young woman, around Stef's age, came in. She had caramel skin and very curly hair.

"Hello, love." Stef embraced the woman, who I assumed was her wife. "Lena, this is Jude."

"Hi Jude. It's very nice to meet you." She took a step towards me and extended her hand.

I shook it firmly. "And you as well." I motioned towards Callie. "This is my older sister, Callie. She would probably say it's very nice to meet the both of you."

The two women laughed and shared a loving gaze.

"Well, I am going to head back to the office. If any of you need anything, please don't hesitate to call." Bill handed Stef and Lena a business card. "Jude, it's very nice to see you again. I'm glad that you're doing… well." He smiled and quickly left the room.

"So, do you have any other kids?" I sat down next to Callie and closely monitored her vitals. I had to make sure that she was doing okay.

"Yes, we have three other children." Stef sat down next to me and Lena stood off to the side. "We have a son, Brandon, who is my biological son from a previous marriage."

"And we have twins, Jesus and Mariana, who we adopted about eight years ago. Brandon is sixteen and the twins are fifteen." Lena added.

I smiled. "Callie is sixteen too. Oh, and I'm fourteen." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I know that you have heard about New Intelligence and how we are involved with it. I hope you know that we will not, under any circumstances, harm your family. We hate the people New Intelligence turned us into. Just, please don't think that we are crazy, murderous kids." My cheeks flushed bright red.

"Jude, sweetie, we do not think lowly of you and Callie. We understand that being a part of that agency was not your choice. We want you to know that you are safe in our house. You can be your true selves." Stef rubbed my back and Lena smiled at me.

I looked into both of their eyes and didn't see hate or harmful intentions. For once, I finally felt as if Callie and I were going to be safe. For once, I knew I could be Jude instead of Bravo. I knew I was going to like these women. I just hoped we would like their kids and they would like us. And, I was already hoping that this home would be our last.


	6. I Know You

**Okay, so I apologize for the weirdness that happened with the last chapter! I really don't know what happened with that! Anyway, thank you for the positive responses! I'm so glad that you are liking this story. Would you like to know something strange? I'm watching NCIS on Netflix right now and I just realized that there have been quite a few characters from The Fosters on the show! Robert, Donald, Dana, Ana, and Adam have all starred on NCIS! I just thought that was super ironic b/c I am writing this piece!**

 **Stef's POV**

A few hours after Lena and I met Jude, he fell asleep in the chair holding his sister's hand. Lena draped a blanket over the boy and pulled me into the hallway.

"Are we crazy?" She rubbed her forehead and sank into my arms. "We have no idea what these children are capable of. What if they are a danger to the family? I mean, they were helping plan major attacks on our government!"

"Lena, love, they had no choice in the matter. They were kidnapped when they were little kids! And they are the ones who went to NCIS and helped bring the agency down." I rubbed my wife's back and kissed her cheek. "I think they have felt more hurt than any child should ever have to experience. And, yes, they are highly trained in God knows what, but they need someone to lookout for them. Why don't you go home and be with the kids tonight. I'll stay here with Callie and Jude. Hopefully we will be able to bring them home tomorrow. If not, you should bring Brandon and the twins here to meet them."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything." Lena kissed me gently on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you more." I kissed her back and watched as she walked down the hallway. I turned around and walked back into Callie's hospital room. Jude was sitting straight up in the chair, wide awake.

"Jude, why are you awake? It's late. You've had a very long day and you need your rest." I walked up to the young boy and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched immediately and I could help but wonder what these kids had been through.

"No. I can't sleep. I have to watch out for her. Someone has to protect her." He rubbed his eyes and suppressed a yawn.

"I can protect both of you. You don't have to be the strong one anymore, Jude. Lena and I can do that for you and Callie."

He looked up at me with sad eyes. "Why are you being nice to us? You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we're capable of."

I sat down in a chair next to him and leaned in close. "Well, maybe you can tell me what the two of you are like. We want to know everything: the good, bad, and ugly." I looked into Jude's eyes and saw a sad little boy behind all of the hurt and the pain.

"I think I'm just going to go to bed." He broke eye contact and laid down on the cot that was set up on Callie's other side. Within minutes I heard his breathing out and he started to snore just a little.

I moved to the chair he was in and stared at the girl laying in the bed. Something about her was familiar. But, I just couldn't place it. She groaned in pain and started to stir. She mumbled a little and then her eyes shot open.

"Where am I? What happened?" Callie's eyes searched the ceiling frantically and she tried to identify her surroundings.

"Callie, you're in the hospital. You were shot today back at New Intelligence. Do you remember that?" I stood up and moved closer to the bed.

She whipped her head to the side and locked eyes with me. "I killed Commander Doran today. And she tried to kill me." Her eyes glistened with tears but she blinked them away quickly.

"Yeah…" I struggled to find the right words to say. "Does your arm hurt?"

"Who are you?" She completely avoided my question, but I didn't need an answer. Pain covered her face.

"My name is Stef Adams-Foster. I'm one of your foster moms." I sat back down and scooted the chair close to the bed.

"Where's your wife?" She sat up a little but winced in pain.

I smiled. For once someone didn't question if I really had a wife or not. "Lena, my wife, is back at our home with our three children: Brandon, who is sixteen like you, and our twins, Jesus and Mariana, who are fifteen."

"Uh, thank you for taking Jude and me in." Callie's cheeks flushed a little. She looked back to me and studied my face curiously. "I know you. We've met before."

"You know, I thought you looked familiar too. But, I have no idea where we could have met before. I can't really imagine our paths crossing."

Suddenly, Callie's eyes widened. "You were the cop who talked to me and Jude at the police station when our foster parents dropped off! You walked away for a second to go call our social worker. That's when the NI agents came in and grabbed us."

Memories began flooding my mind.

 _"Officer Foster! There are two kids on the bench over there. They said their foster parents dropped them at the door and told them to go in and give this to a cop." The desk cop, Jerry, handed me a white envelope. I pulled out the note and read it carefully._

 _'Their names are Callie (6) and Jude (4). My husband and I just can't take care of them anymore. They're good kids, but we just don't have the money. Everything they own is in their bag. They don't talk much but they are good kids. Sorry.'_

 _I sighed and shoved the paper into my pocket. I walked up to the kids and squatted down in front of them._

 _"You must be Callie." I extended my hand to the little girl and she shook it softly._

 _"Yeah… And this is Jude, my brother." She pointed to the little boy next to her and wiped some tears off of his face. "He's really shy."_

 _"Well, it is very nice to meet the both of you. My name is Stef. Do you want a snack or a drink?" I looked back and forth between the children._

 _"No thank you." Callie dropped her head and gripped Jude's hand tightly. "Billy gave us this in case we ever need him." She pulled a crumpled business card out of her dirty jacket and gently placed it in my hand._

 _I took the card and opened it. There was a number for their social worker on it. "I'm going to go call Bill. You two stay here."_

 _"Okay." Callie said quietly._

 _I walked back over to my desk and dialed Bill._

 _"Hello, Bill Harrington speaking." A gruff voice answered._

 _"Hi Bill, this is Officer Stefanie Foster, D.C. Police. I have two of your kids here, Callie and Jude Jacob. Their foster parents just dropped them off and left a note saying that they can't care for them anymore."_

 _"Ah geez. Okay, thanks Officer. I'll be down to the station within the hour. Bye now."_

 _I grabbed two suckers out of my desk for the kids. But, I started running when I heard Callie scream._

 _I rounded the corner and saw the bench empty and their bag gone._

 _"Callie?! Jude?!" I ran down the hall to the doors that led outside. I pushed them open and saw the kids tossed into a van. "Police, freeze!" I pulled out my gun and aimed it at the tires. The van tore out of the parking lot and I lost my shot. "Dammit!"_

"Stef? You okay?" I was pulled out of my memory by Callie tapping my hand.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I was just remembering that day." I reassured her.

"I never forgot it…" She dropped her head and again blinked away tears. "Stef? Do you remember our last name? They never referred to us with our full names. I just… I haven't known my last name in ten years."

I smiled sadly at her. "It's Jacob. Callie Jacob."

Her eyes lit up. "Jacob! That's it!" She smiled widely. "Thanks. Wow, these pain killers are strong." Her eyes were getting heavy but she tried to force them open.

"Go to sleep. You're both safe. I'll be right here if you need anything." Before I was even finished talking she was asleep.

I smiled at the sight of the two children sleeping in front of me. Even though I barely knew them, I felt a very strong connection to them I wanted nothing more than to protect them like my other children.

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you liked it anyway! What would you like to see happen? Should I bring in Connor? I was also thinking about bringing in Wyatt. Let me know what you think! I love incorporating my reader's ideas!**


	7. Secrets

**Callie's POV**

"You're going to be in a good amount of pain for quite some time. These are prescriptions for pain relievers and antibiotics. You need to keep your arm bandaged and in the sling at all times, except when you shower. If you don't have any questions, you're good to go! I hope you get to feeling better soon, Callie." My doctor handed Stef two prescription papers and helped me adjust my sling.

"Thank you, Dr. Keeton." Stef said as she shook his hand. He smiled and walked out of the room. "Well, are you ready to go? We could go get something to eat if you'd like."

"No, I'm okay. Thank you though." I pushed myself off of the bed and winced from the shooting pain in my arm.

Stef smiled and led me down to the parking lot and helped me into the car. We drove to her house in complete silence. When we finally pulled into the driveway, I was shocked. I didn't expect them to have such a nice home. The foster home Jude and I were in was really crappy. It was more of a shack than anything else.

"Wow, uh… your home is really beautiful." I got out of the car and looked up at the house in amazement.

Stef laughed a little and slung my bag over her shoulder. "Well, hopefully you can find that this is your home now too." She put her hand on my shoulder but I instinctively jumped away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's fine. It's just a reaction." I followed Stef into the house through the back door.

"Callie!" Jude ran up to me and threw his arms around me.

"Hey buddy. You doing okay?" I whispered to him. For the first time in years, Jude was finally able to be a kid.

He nodded and pulled back. "I'm glad you're here. They're really nice." He whispered back.

"I'm sure they are." I squeezed him tightly. "We'll talk later. I'm sure Stef and Lena want to talk about the rules." I sent him on his way and followed Stef into the kitchen.

A woman about Stef's age sat at the kitchen table. She had curly brown hair and light brown skin. She was absolutely beautiful.

"You must be Callie! I'm Lena, it's very nice to meet you!" Lena walked over to me and shook my hand firmly. "Does your arm feel okay?" Her cheeks reddened. "That was a dumb question. I'm sure getting shot doesn't feel good at all."

I smiled a little. "It's not too bad. I'll be fine in a few weeks."

Stef motioned for me to sit. I took a seat on a stool and cradled my arm gently.

"So we just want to go over a few ground rules." Stef began. "You will be sharing a room with our daughter, Mariana. She's probably your complete opposite; Mariana loves dressing up and doing her make-up all the time. You don't really strike me for a girly girl." Stef smiled and winked at me. "But, regardless, she should be very welcoming to you."

"This is one of Stef's old phones." Lena slid me an iPhone. "Jude has one of my old ones. We want you to be able to get ahold of us at any time. Our numbers are programmed into it already, along with Brandon, Jesus, Mariana, and Jude's. You have data, texting, and calling just like the other kids."

"Wow, uh, thank you!" I picked up the phone. "That's really nice of you."

Lena smiled and patted my hand. "We want you and your brother to feel welcome here."

"Okay, so curfew. You need to be in the house at 9:00 on school nights and 10:30 on weekends, unless we give you permission to be out later." Stef explained. "We have dinner as a family every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday night, but we understand if you aren't comfortable doing that right away."

"No, family dinners sound great." I was actually really excited at the thought of spending time with these people. When Jude and I were at New Intelligence we never ate all together. There were just too many of us. So most of the time we would just take our food back to the barracks and eat while we studied.

"Well, good! I'm glad to hear that! You and Jude will go to school with the other kids at Anchor Beach. I'm the Vice Principal there so I'll drive everyone back and forth unless you decide to walk. Sometimes my meetings run late so Brandon and the twins will just walk home together. You will need to take an entrance exam, but I'm sure you and Jude will have no problems passing it." Lena slid me and brochure for the school. "It's right on the beach. I think you will both love it!"

I picked up the brochure and studied it carefully. "It's a high school?"

"Actually it is kindergarten through twelfth grade. Don't worry, you won't be separated from Jude." Stef reassured me.

"No, it's not that. It's just… Jude and I have already graduated high school. In New Intelligence you graduate from high school at thirteen. We've already started taking college courses online." I set the brochure down and slid it back to Lena.

"Wait, you graduated at _thirteen?_ That sounds impossible!" Stef's eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"The trainers expected the best from everyone. The education level is very high caliber, along with everything else."

"Okay… well Lena and I will have to discuss what will be the best option for your education then. We don't want you to have to sit through courses that you don't need, but we definitely want you to continue your education. So, we'll talk some tonight and then let you and Jude know what our decision is in the morning." Stef said. "If you'd like, you can go get settled in your room upstairs. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out which one you're in. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. And I'll go out and get your medicine so you can take one before bed."

"Thanks." I smiled weakly at then and hefted my duffle bag over my shoulder. I walked up the stairs and quickly found the room I would be staying in. The door had _Mariana_ on it along with pictures and cutouts from magazines. I stood in front of it, not knowing if I should knock or not.

"Yay, you're here!" A voice shrilled from behind me.

I whipped around and came face-to-face with a short, tan, brunette. "Uh, yeah? Are you Mariana?"

"Yes!" Mariana grabbed my hand and led me into the bedroom. "I am so excited that you are here! Do you know how horrible it is to only have brothers? They're disgusting!" Her excited attitude faded. "But, I'm sure Jude is great. I didn't mean to make fun of him."

I laughed a little. "No, it's okay. Jude… he's pretty great."

"Here, let me take that." She reached for my bad and gently set it down on the bed that was against the back wall. "Are your other bags downstairs? I can go get them for you."

"No, this is all I have." My cheeks flushed. I'd never felt embarrassed about how little I had. It never mattered before. Everyone in NI wore the same thing and we all had the same basic necessities.

"Oh, well we'll just have to go shopping!" Mariana sat down on her bed and started filing her nails. "You can have half of the closet and there is a shelf in the bathroom for you. And if you don't like the comforter I'm sure moms will get you a new one. We figured the yellow and gray was a good choice."

"Thanks. And I like the bedding. It's better than plain gray everything." I laughed to myself. I never realized how boring everything at New Intelligence was. There was hardly any color anywhere. At least not compared to this place. I unpacked my things and managed to put all of my clothes in my dresser. "It looks like you're not going to have to give up any of your closet." I motioned to the dresser. "Everything fits…"

Mariana smiled sadly at me. "You can borrow some of my clothes if you want. At least until we get you some more."

I glanced at the open closet. It was full of skirts, dresses, and flowy tops. Everything was pink or bright yellow. None of it was my style; not even close. But the gesture was kind. "Thanks, Mariana. Uh, what room is Jude in? I want to make sure he is settling in okay."

"Oh! He's rooming with Jesus. They're in the room to the right of ours."

I smiled in thanks and knocked on the boys' door.

Jude answered and pulled me inside. "Callie, this room is so cool! But, weird at the same time."

"How is it weird? It's all normal stuff." I ruffled his hair and plopped down on the bed next to him.

"It's weird because we've only seen plain walls for ten years. They have decorations here! It feels like… home." His eyes glazed over and I knew he was remembering being at home with mom and dad.  
"I really like this place."

"Me too, buddy. But don't get too attached. We probably won't be here for long." I hated to hurt his feelings but I needed him to know the truth. "Hey, how did everything go at NCIS today?"

"Oh, it was good! I talked to the agents and they all agreed to have their chips activated. Everything went smoothly. They all got placed in their new homes and then I activated them so they weren't confused as to where they were. And the chips for the agents that didn't surrender were activated just fine, except…" Jude trailed off.

"Except what? Were some of them defective?"

"Not some, just one." He nervously bit on his fingernails. "Foxtrot's was damaged when he was getting scans at the hospital. The magnetic waves from the MRI machine destroyed it."

"Crap." I muttered under my breath. "So what's going to happen to him? Is he just going to be in a secure facility or what?"

"That _was_ the plan. But he escaped his security detail. After the doctors performed his surgery, a guard was assigned to watch him at all times. But Foxtrot managed to subdue him. He ran out of the hospital and no one has seen him since."

I looked at my brother and we knew what we had to do without even saying anything. We had a new mission. We had to find Foxtrot before he tried to carry out any of the planned attacks.

"I'm going to work on securing a safe internet access so I can track any movements he might make. He'll have to make a call or buy something at some point. And he's injured, so he really can't get that far anytime soon." Jude ran his fingers threw his hair. His mind was working at a thousand miles an hour. Jude was the best at computer stuff. He could hack into anything and not leave a trace.

"How are you going to do that? The computer they have won't be strong enough to handle the amount of work you would have to do."

"Ziva brought me back to NI today. I managed to get our laptops, NI cell phones, and some of our weapons." Jude pulled out a black back pack from under his bed. He handed me my laptop and a smaller bag containing my weapons.

"Jude! Do you know what will happen to us if Stef and Lena find out that we have these? We will be so screwed!" I shoved the weapons back to him.

"Callie, where do you think Foxtrot is going to go? He is going to come directly for us! He's pissed that we betrayed New Intelligence. He's going to seek revenge on the both of us. We have to protect ourselves and these people. He will have no mercy on them. We're their only hope at surviving his rampage. Just trust me on this, Alpha." Jude gently placed the bag back into my hand. "I already told Lena that we have these laptops. They are okay with us having them since I told her that they were completely wiped of New Intelligence files."

"Were they? Were they completely wiped?"

"You know I couldn't do that. But, after we find Foxtrot and everything with NI is over, I will wipe them. I just don't want to lose information that could help us."

"What about the phones? We really don't need them. Stef and Lena already gave us their old ones."

"These phones have secure lines. They will be exclusively for us to communicate with each other about the mission. Again, after all of this is over, we can destroy them."

"Okay, I'm trusting you on this Bravo. We _cannot_ get caught. I'd like to stay with these people for as long as possible. I don't want to screw it up. But… you're right. We have to protect them from Evan. After that, we can just be kids." I squeezed his hands. "I can't wait for that day."

He smiled at me. "Me either."

"I'm going to go put this stuff away. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

He nodded and I left for my room. Luckily Mariana wasn't in there so I didn't have to be super secretive. I put the weapons in the bottom of my dresser and slipped a small padlock onto it so it couldn't be opened without a key. I didn't know if Mariana would snoop or not, but I had to be careful just in case.

"Brandon, Callie, and Jude! It's time for dinner!" Stef yelled up the stairs.

I took a deep breath. I had to make sure my nerves were calmed before I went down and faced the entire family. Normally I was pretty good and keeping whatever I was thinking a secret, but Stef just had this way about her… Every time I looked at her, I just wanted to spill all of my secrets. But, for the time being, I had to lay low and make sure nothing was revealed.

 **Sorry for the late update! Things have been pretty crazy lately. Leave me some ideas in the reviews!**


	8. Pain

**Okay, this is starting to get weird. Remember all of the Fosters characters that have also starred on NCIS? Well now we can add Vico, Dana, and Mike to that list! I think this mini-crossover was meant to be! As always, loving your responses. You guys and gals are so amazing! Leave me some ideas and I will credit you!**

 **Callie's POV**

Dinner was surprisingly nice. Lena made grilled chicken with apple chutney, mashed potatoes, and stir-fried vegetables. It was weird eating around a dinner table and having food that actually tasted good. The food at New Intelligence could easily be related to prison food. Everyone talked about their days and we all laughed at funny stories. Jude and I were officially introduced to Brandon and Jesus as well.

Jesus is… hot as hell! He has wavy brown hair and a dark eyes that you could just get lost it. He's hilarious too; he is always picking fun at Mariana and Brandon. He even offered to teach Jude how to ride a skateboard, which scared the crap out of me, but it was a really nice gesture. But, I got the feeling that he was kind of immature.

Brandon, well Brandon just seemed really pretentious. He was scribbling down notes on a piece of sheet music all throughout dinner. He barely said one word to us. When Jesus asked him to join in the conversation, Brandon muttered something to Jesus about taking one of his ADD pills. He made Jude and I feel very unwelcome. It seemed as if he really didn't want us there at all.

Right before bed, Stef and Lena called us into the living room.

"Take a seat. We wanted to talk to both of you about somethings." Stef motioned to the couch; Jude and I sat down close to each other.

"Stef and I have been talking for several hours about the school situation. While we don't feel it would beneficial for the two of you to take high school classes, we do want you to continue to get an education while you are here."

"You can continue to take college classes online until the end of this semester. And then, if you want, you can apply for the spring semester at one of the universities in the area. But, you can continue to take online classes if you'd rather." Stef smiled at us. I saw something in her eyes. I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it looked a little like pride.

"But, the classes cost money. And classes at a university will cost even more. We didn't have jobs at NI; we don't have any money to pay for this. New Intelligence paid for the online classes for us." I wringed my hands nervously. I so badly wanted to continue my education, but I knew I wouldn't ever be able to afford it.

"Callie and I can just take classes at Anchor Beach. It won't be that big of a deal." Jude tried.

"Actually, you can't. Since you already have valid high school diplomas, you aren't allowed to take anymore high school courses. We don't want you to worry about the cost. NCIS has offered scholarships for the both of you to continue with your education. They are very grateful for the choices that you have made over the past couple of days." Stef patted Jude's knee. "Why don't you kids go on up to bed. I have a few weeks off from work so I can be here if you need anything while you acclimate. We can go shopping tomorrow while Lena and the kids are at school."

"Okay, goodnight." Jude smiled and headed up the stairs. But I stayed behind.

"Everything okay Callie?" Stef asked as she and Lena moved to either side of me.

"Yeah, uh, I just wanted to talk to you guys about something. I've been looking online today for part-time jobs. I found a good one at a burger stand. If I get that job, I'll be able to pay for an apartment. So, Jude and I should be out of your hair in a few weeks." I wiped my hands on my jeans. As soon as I said those words, my heart began to hurt. I didn't even want to think about leaving this place. Jude and I were safe and happy; something we hadn't been in a long time.

Stef and Lena shared a look. Stef cautiously put an arm around my shoulders, but was careful of my injured one. "Callie, you don't need to think about anything else except getting that arm healed. This house isn't… we aren't expecting you to move out."

I looked back and forth between them trying to read their faces, but I couldn't. "What are you saying? I don't understand what that means."

"Listen honey, Stef and I have some more talking to do. But, don't think that we are going to give up on you and your brother okay?" Once I nodded, Lena continued. "You need to go get your medicine from the kitchen and then head up for bed. It's getting late!"

I pushed myself off the couch and hurried to get my pills. I couldn't shake Stef's words. _We aren't expecting you to move out._ What in the hell did that mean? There was no way they were thinking about adopting up. For one, they barely knew us. And secondly, they didn't know what we were capable of. Jude and I were dangerous.

I swallowed the pills and went directly to my room. I was completely exhausted. I think was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow.

 **Stef's POV**

"Well I think we kind of let the cat out of the bag." I plopped down on my bed with my wife.

"Are we sure we want to do this? I mean, we barely know these kids. They've only been in our home for a day." Lena sighed and ran her fingers through her curly brown hair.

"Lena, these kids have been on my mind every day for ten years. I wanted to bring them home with me from the station, but I never got the chance. I have to do right by them, love." I blinked tears away quickly. I couldn't believe that I had finally found the kids I let get kidnapped all those years ago. They held a special place in my heart and I wanted to keep them safe… forever.

"Okay, well let's talk to the other kids tomorrow. Mariana has taken a liking to Callie and I think Jude and Jesus will get along just fine. But, Brandon… he was very distant at dinner and hardly acted like there were two new kids in the house."

"I'll check in with him tomorrow." I checked my watch. "We should get to bed. It's getting really late."

Lena nodded and snuggled up to me. I fell asleep thinking about how wonderful it would be to have another son and daughter…

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed and a quiet house. I sneaked downstairs to grab some coffee. It was nearly 9:30 so Lena and the kids were at school already.

After reading the paper and finishing my coffee, I made my way upstairs to check on Callie and Jude. I walked up to Mariana's room. Quiet voices were coming from the other side. Even though I knew it was wrong, I listened in.

"Callie, I really like it here. I don't want to leave." Jude's sad voice made my heart hurt.

"Bravo, no! We can't get comfortable here. They will kick us out for sure once they find out what we're capable of." Callie's voice hissed with anger.

"Then we don't show them what we can do! We hide it!"

"You and I both know that we can't do that. Fighting is in our blood! New Intelligence made sure of that. It won't be long before something happens. We'll have to find an outlet for our energy and it won't be pretty." Callie paused. I heard some shuffling. "I hacked into the NCIS database last night. I can get a job there Jude! I don't know what it would be, but I read that you can get hired at 16 for some jobs. I'll find a way to talk to Ziva or Gibbs. I'll be making way better money than at that burger stand. I'll be able to support us for two years until you can get a job there. We could work our way up in the ranks!"

Jude sighed. "Okay, whatever."

I knocked. "Is it okay if I come in?" I called from the other side. I silently hoped they didn't think I had been listening.

"Yeah! Come in!" Callie called.

I slowly opened the door and smiled at the pair. They were sitting on Callie's bed with their hands intertwined.

"I was thinking we could go do some shopping. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!" Jude beamed.

Callie nudged him and his smile disappeared. "You don't have to do that. We have plenty."

"Callie, we want to do this. Come on! It will be fun!"

Jude pulled away from his sister and darted into his room with the smile back on his face. Callie stood, smoothed her clothes, and grabbed her backpack. She took it everywhere with her, which intrigued me.

Three hours of shopping and a big lunch later, we were ready to head back home. Callie and I waited in the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant while Jude was in the bathroom.

"Hey Stef, would you mind dropping off at NCIS for a while? I need to talk to Ziva about the case." Her eyes pleaded with me. She was a really good liar, I could give her that. If I hadn't heard her and Jude talking earlier, I wouldn't know what her true plans were.

I decided to give in. I was sure she bonded a little with Ziva and just wanted to be around her. "Sure. You can just give me a call when you need to be picked up."

She smiled. "Thanks."

Jude came bounding out of the building seconds later. He was so different from the rigid boy I met in the hospital. He was starting to let his guard down and be a kid. It warmed my heart. I just wished that Callie could do the same.

 **Callie's POV**

After going through the security checks to get into the navy yard, Stef dropped me off at the door of NCIS. I thanked her and quickly made my way inside.

I walked up to the front desk and was met by the same woman from the other day.

"Your back!" Rose smiled brightly at me. "What can I help you with today?" She eyed my bandaged arm but didn't comment on it.

"Is Special Agent David in? I need to talk to her." I smiled back.

"She sure is! I'll call her down." Rose dialed and handed me the visitor's badge. "Agent David? I have Callie down here. She would like to talk to you." She paused while Ziva spoke. "Okay! Bye-bye now!" Rose hung up the phone. "She is on her way down!"

"Thanks, Rose." I slipped the lanyard around my neck and sat down in the chairs across from the front desk. A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened.

"Callie!" Ziva smiled at me and walked over. "How is your arm? Are you okay?" Her smile disappeared as she quickly surveyed my outward appearance.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that bad." I lied through my teeth. To be honest, my arm hurt like a bitch. But, it was completely new to me. New Intelligence trained us to not feel pain. I guess since I had left NI, I was starting to revert back to a normal teenager, which meant letting my guard down… but only a little.

"Why don't we go talk?" Ziva put a gentle hand on my back and ushered me to the elevator. "Is everything okay? I wasn't expecting you to come by today. Actually, I wasn't expecting you at all."

"I'm okay. I just… wanted to talk to you about some things." My cheeks reddened as I spoke.

Ziva smiled down at me. The doors opened, but not on the level I was expecting. We were on the bottom floor at Abby's lab.

Music blared and we walked into the high-tech lab. "Abby! Abby turn down the music!" Ziva yelled. Abby was dancing and playing air guitar and not paying any attention to what was being said. Either that or she couldn't hear a word being said.

Ziva grabbed a remote and shut off the stereo. Abby whipped around, startled by the sudden change. "Callie!" Abby ran towards me, stopping herself just before she through her arms around me. She touched my injured shoulder softly. "You were shot?"

I nodded. I hadn't actually met Abby in person, but Ziva told me a lot about her while I was in the hospital.

"Ziva! You told me no one was hurt! Well, except for that asshat Evan and Commander Doran. But nobody from our side! Why did you lie to me?!" Abby took a step towards Ziva. Anger and worry filled her voice.

"Abby I did not want you to get upset! You are at your best when you think everyone is okay! We needed you at the top of your game for this case. I am sorry, it will not happen again." Ziva grabbed Abby's hands.

Abby smiled slightly as if to say Ziva was forgiven. "Okay, well what can I do for you? Do you need Callie to do identify people?"

"No, Callie wanted to talk to me and I figured this would be better than in the squad room."

"Oh! Okay, well you can go back there." Abby pointed to the back room.

Ziva and I began to walk away when I noticed a red dot trained on Ziva's chest. I turned around, ran, and tackled Abby and Ziva to the ground just before the shot went off. Glass shattered and bullets flew through the broken window. I jumped up and pulled Ziva's gun off of her hip and started firing.

Screams filled the air from the street outside.

Pain radiated through my arm.

Blood pooled on the ground below me.

Eventually the gunfire ceased.

 **What do you think is happening?! Is Callie seriously injured? Will Stef and Lena find a way to may Callie feel welcome? Let me know in the reviews!**


	9. He's Here

**Ziva's POV**

I started walking towards the back room of Abby's lab when Callie suddenly whipped around, ran directly at me, and tackled Abby and me to the ground. Less than a second later, a bullet ripped through the window. Had Callie not done what she did, I would have been dead for sure. Callie didn't waste a second. She tore my gun from the holster on my hip and began to fire, but the bullets continued from the other end. I saw one hit her and then another, but I couldn't see where. She kept firing, moving slightly to the left and then back to the right, until the enemy fire stopped. As soon as she knew it was done, she dropped my gun and fell to the ground.

"Abby! Go get Gibbs and call an ambulance!" I pulled Abby off the ground and sent her out of the lab. I dragged Callie into the hallway just in case we were fired upon again. "Callie, where are you hit? Where does it hurt?" I searched her arms and chest for a gunshot would but found nothing. She groaned in response and pointed to her lower abdomen and her leg. I pulled her shirt up and immediately put pressure on the wound. "You're going to be okay."

"Ziva!" Gibbs' voice boomed from the elevator. He, Tony, and McGee poured out of the elevator, leading with their weapons. They cleared the lab and then circled around me and Callie. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know! We were walking to Abby's office and then Callie tackled us! Then there was gunfire and Callie fired back with my gun. She was hit in the abdomen and leg. Tony, put pressure on her leg!" I couldn't take my eyes off her face. Her complexion was pale and her eyes welled with tears.

"Z- Ziva…" Callie shot her hand out, searching for mine.

Gibbs dropped to his knees and enclosed Callie's hand in his own. "Hey, you're gonna be okay kid." He wiped a stray tear away from her face and smiled at her. "Tim, where's that ambulance?"

McGee came around the corner with a terrified Abby in his arms. "They just arrived. The paramedics will be down any second."

I pushed my hands harder onto the young girl's stomach and she winced in pain. "I'm sorry sweetie. But, I have too. This will all be over soon and you are going to be just fine."

She nodded her head and finally let her eyes close. Seconds later, the elevator doors opened and two paramedics rushed in. They lifted Callie onto the stretcher and wheeled her to the elevator. I ran alongside them all the while keeping pressure on her abdomen. One of the paramedics took Tony's place on her leg.

"I'm riding with them. I'm not going to leave her." I stated as I looked Gibbs in the eyes.

He stared me down for a second before nodding in compliance. "I'll call her foster parents."

Ten minutes later the ambulance was pulling into the emergency bay at the hospital on the navy yard.

"Callie Jacob: 16 year old female, gunshot wounds to the abdomen and leg. She's been in and out of consciousness since we picked her up." The young paramedic, whose name I learned was Mark, rattled off Callie's blood pressure, blood type, and several other things that I didn't understand.

"What's this?" The doctor pointed to Callie's shoulder. "This is a healing gunshot wound."

"She was shot two days ago." I jumped in, knowing neither of the paramedics knew what that injury was.

"She's been shot three times within two days? What the hell is going on with this girl?" The doctor said to herself. "Ma'am, you're going to need to remove your hands. We'll take good care of your daughter, I promise."

"Oh, uh she isn't my daughter. Her foster parents should be on their way now." I pulled my hands away and let a nurse take my spot.

"Okay, well we need to take her up immediately up to surgery. There isn't time for scans. We'll have someone update you once we know something." The doctor smiled sadly at me and began to wheel Callie, who was now completely unconscious, to the elevator at the end of the hallway.

I nodded and went to go sit in the waiting room. When I got out there, Gibbs and McGee were waiting for me.

"Ziva, you have blood all over your hands. Go wash up and then come sit down." Gibbs turned me around and set me in the direction of the bathroom.

Once I reached the bathroom, I turned on the water and let it pour over my hands. The water was burning hot, but I could barely feel it. The blood turned pink and washed down the drain. I cleaned dry blood out from under my fingernails and scrubbed my arms with cool soap.

"How could this happen? How the hell could this happen?" I muttered to myself. After I finally got rid of any visible sign of Callie's blood, I dried my hands and joined McGee and Gibbs in the waiting room.

"We were just in this situation. How could this happen again so soon?" McGee asked seemingly to no one.

Neither Gibbs nor I answered. We all just stared into the open space in front of us for what seemed like hours. But it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. After a while, Jude busted through the automatic doors looking completely panicked.

"Where is she?! What the hell happened?!" Tears poured down his face.

"Why don't we go for a walk and talk about what happened?" Gibbs stood and led Jude down the hallway, McGee following close behind.

"Stef, Lena… I'm _so_ sorry. I don't know what happened. All of the sudden bullets were flying and…"

"Ziva, it's okay. This wasn't your fault." Stef cut me off. She sat down across from me and her wife sat next to her.

We all sat in silence for nearly an hour before a doctor came out.

"Family of Callie Jacob?"

Stef, Lena, and I all stood but only Lena spoke. "That's us."

The doctor made a slight nod in my direction before she spoke.

"That is Special Agent Ziva David. She is here for Callie too." Stef explained.

"Okay then. My name is Lieutenant Michelle Andres and I am the lead surgeon on your foster daughter's case. She was hit twice; once in the abdomen and once in the leg. Luckily, neither bullet hit any major organs or arteries. But, they both hit bone. One grazed her hip and the other shattered her femur. My team is repairing her femur now. We are going to have to put in steel rods to help hold the bone fragments in place." Lieutenant Andres explained. "But, she is going to be okay. We've stopped the bleeding, but we still have a few more hours to go. I will have someone come brief you periodically."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Stef shook the doctor's hand quickly before she turned around and ran back to the operating room. "Well, I guess that is the best new we could have gotten."

"Should I go update the kids at home? It's going to be a few hours before we get to see her. Maybe it would be better if I was there with them so they aren't worrying." Lena grasped Stef's hand as she spoke.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea. I'll call you as soon as we get an update." Stef kissed Lena on the cheek and walked her out to their car.

My phone started to ring; Tony's face popped up on my screen. "Hello?" My voice sounded tired.

"Hey Ziva. How's everything at the hospital? Is Callie okay?" His voice was frantic and full of worry.

"She's going to be fine. They are in surgery right now and should be done in a few hours. How's everything there? Did you find the shooter?"

"No, by the time we got outside they were gone. But, there was blood on the ground. So at least we have DNA."

"Okay, I gotta go. Keep me updated Tony." I hung up my phone and ran my hands through my hair.

"Are you okay, Ziva?" Stef sat down next to me and put a strong hand on my shoulder.

I turned to look at her and was met with soft blue eyes. "I'm fine… just worried about Callie is all."

She smiled, but it quickly disappeared. "You know, these kids have only been in our care for a couple days and the majority of it has been spent in a hospital. I just can't believe she was shot _again_." Stef readjusted herself in the chair to get more comfortable. "I'm the reason Callie and Jude got kidnapped by New Intelligence. I walked away from them to call their social worker and they were taken. I should have just stayed there and called from my cell phone. Why didn't I do that?" Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke and I soon realized that she wasn't expecting me to answer her.

"Stef, this is not your fault. It's no one's fault except the person who fired into Abby's lab. You can't beat yourself up about this." I turned to face her, but she refused to make eye contact.

"Ziva, can I ask you a question?" She blinked away tears as she spoke. I nodded and she continued. "I overheard Callie and Jude talking this morning. Callie said she somehow found out about a job she could possibly get at NCIS. Is that true? Can she do that?"

I thought for a minute before I answered. "Yeah, uh, she could get a job as a hand-to-hand combat instructor, she could work in Abby's lab as an assistant, and I'm sure there are more."

"Do you think she could be hired? I mean, with her past and everything?"

"Sure she could! She would have to put in an application and go through a psychological evaluation, but I'm sure she would pass. NCIS would be lucky to have Callie on the team." I smiled at the thought of it. I felt a connection to that girl from the moment she walked into NCIS the first day. Something about me just wanted to protect her.

"Lena and I talked to her and Jude about continuing their education at a university, but Callie seemed reluctant. Would you mind talking to her about it? She really likes you." Stef wiped a tear off the tip of her nose and laughed a little. "Actually, she is basically your mini-me."

That too made me smile. "Of course I'll talk to her."

We sat in silence for a while before Gibbs and McGee walked back with Jude.

"Hey guys. Everything okay?" I stood up and ushered Jude to a seat between me and Stef.

He slumped down in the chair and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his eyes and groaned loudly.

"Uh, yeah. We're good." McGee said not-so-certainly.

"McGee and I are going back to headquarters to help Tony with the investigation. I take it you're staying here?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah if that's okay."

Gibbs nodded and walked out of the hospital with McGee on his heels.

Stef, Jude, and I sat in the cold waiting room occasionally making light conversation until the doctors came out.

Lieutenant Andres stood sat down in front of us. "Callie did great in surgery. She is being transported to her room now. Would you like me to take you to see her?"

Jude jumped out of his seat. "Please!" His eyes were wide with worry and he was breathing incredibly fast.

The four of us walked down a long corridor all the way to Callie's room.

"She should be coming out of the anesthetic any minute now. She'll be in some pain, but the medication should start working soon. I'll be right out here if any of you need anything."

Jude darted into the room with Stef and me behind him.

Callie was laying awake on her bed, breathing in deeply with an oxygen mask on her face. She was holding Jude's hand and occasionally wincing in pain.

She turned to look at Stef and me and immediately ripped off her mask. "Ziva!"

I took two big strides to her bedside. "I'm here Callie, what do you need?"

"He's _here_." She said sternly.

"Who Callie? Who's here?" I sat down in the chair and took hold of her free hand.

"Evan! He shot into the lab and I saw him in the hallway on the way to my room! Evan is in the hospital!"

 **Hope you liked this chapter! What do you think will happen next? What do you WANT to happen next? Let me know!**


	10. Dreams

**I'm so sorry for such a long wait! College has been** ** _super_** **stressful lately. I'm working on the next chapter for this so hopefully it won't be long.**

 **Trigger warning: this chapter mentions suicide.**

 **Ziva's POV**

As soon as Callie said those words, I sprang into action.

"Stef, do you have a backup on you?" I grabbed Stef's shoulders and shook her a little. Her face was blank, yet she looked completely terrified. "Stef! I need you to listen!"

She blinked a few times and seemed to come to the realization of what was happening. "Uh yeah, I do." She reached down to her ankle and grabbed a small pistol." She handed me her regular issue weapon.

"Jude, you stay in here with Callie. Do not leave under any circumstances." I pulled my knife out of its sheath and handed it to him. "You'll be okay." I cupped his face in my hands and tried to calm the fear that had taken over his face.

I grabbed Stef's wrist and pulled her into the hallway. We walked up to the nurse's station to inform them of what was happening.

"You need to lock this hospital down right now. There is potentially a shooter here. He's injured and will probably be moving slowly." I whispered quietly yet firmly to the young man sitting at the desk.

His eyes grew wide and he nodded quickly. He picked up the phone and shook nervously while he waited for someone on the other end to pick up. "Jenna, its Tom from pediatrics. I was just informed that we have a Code Red situation. No shots have been fired in the building but there is reason to believe that the assailant is still in the building." Tom pressed the phone into his shoulder and turned his attention back to me and Stef. "What does the shooter look like?"

I showed him a picture of Evan on my phone. "The shooter is a fourteen year old male, brown hair, green eyes. Also, he's injured." Tom gave Evan's description to the person on the other end of the phone. "Okay, Jenna. Yeah you stay safe too." He hung the phone up and looked at me, terrified. "Our head of security is alerting the guards. What do I do now?"

"You stay on this floor. Get all of the patients and their families into rooms. No one leaves!" I shouted as Stef and I ran down the hall.

Security guards were combing the hallways, searching in every possible hiding spot for Evan. We flashed our badges at one of the guards and he let us out of the wing we were on.

"Ziva!" Stef yelled quietly. I walked over to her and she pointed to the ground. "There's a blood trail. And it's fresh; it hasn't even started to dry." She pointed down a hallway. "He went that way."

I nodded and motioned for Stef to cover my back. We walked slowly towards closed doors, fearing what was on the other side. I pushed the double doors open and led with my gun. I heard groaning and held my hand up so Stef would stop walking.

"NCIS, let me see your hands!" I shouted. The groaning stopped and I heard what sounded like a gun being loaded.

"Evan, slide the gun into the middle of the hallway. Don't do anything stupid and you can walk out of here." Stef moved closer and repositioned her weapon.

"Go away! Get the hell out of here!" Evan's voice was weak and fatigued.

"We can't do that and you know it." I pleaded with the boy. I didn't want it to end the way it was playing out in my head.

Stef and I stood in silence for a few seconds, praying Evan would come to his senses. After a little while, we heard him stand up. He emerged slowly from behind a supply cabinet, his gun pressed firmly to his temple.

"Whoa! Put the gun down and slide it to me on the floor." Stef was at my side now.

"I didn't want to do any of it! They made me do it!" Evan had tears streaming down his face. His eyes were red and blood soaked his shirt.

"We know Evan. None of this is your fault. Why don't you come with us and we can have a doctor look at your injuries." I took a step closer and lowered my gun a little.

"No one can fix me!" He stepped back and laughed a little. "You know, when I was little I wanted to be in the Air Force. I wanted to fly planes and be a good Airmen! But New Intelligence ruined me! They turned me into a murderer! No matter how hard I try, I can't get their faces out of my head! I have dreams about them. 'Why did you do it Evan?' they ask. But I can't answer them because I don't know why I did it!"

"Who asks you that Evan? What did you do?" Stef questioned from behind me.

"The people I killed. Men, women, and even children! I see them all the time! We had to do it to be promoted to a command position. Callie and Jude had to do it too. After I shot into the NCIS lab, I promised myself that those bullets would be the last ones I ever fired. But, I have one more left. It would be a waste to not let it live up to its potential, wouldn't it?" He pushed the gun even harder into the side of his head.

"Evan, no!" I screamed. "You can walk out of here right now; just put the gun down!"

"I'm sorry." He stared into my eyes and let one final tear fall.

Everything else happened in slow motion. I saw him pull the trigger, heard the crack of the gun, and watched as his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Stef jumped across the hallway and pressed her fingers into his neck. She looked up at me and shook her head.

"Dammit!" I yelled as loud as my voice would let me. I slammed my fist into the cement wall. "Dammit…" I whispered.

A security guard ran into the hall. "I heard the shot and got here as fast as I could." He peered around me and gasped at Evan's body, crumpled on the floor like a doll. "Come on, let's get out this hall." He ushered Stef and me into the lobby of the pediatric wing.

I stood in the middle of the lobby in a daze. Stef must have informed the nurses that Evan was no longer a threat because patients and their families started to emerge from their rooms. A young doctor led me to an exam room to look at my hand. She said something about it not being broken, but severely bruised. She wrapped it and led me back to Callie's room.

"Ziva!" Jude ran up to me and threw his strong arms around me. "What happened? Where's Evan? Is Stef okay?"

I stared at the two children who had their eyes locked on me. I sat down in the chair next to Callie's bed and took Jude's hand in my uninjured one. "Stef is fine. She's talking to some other police officers right now." I blinked tears away before I continued. "But Evan… he uh…" I wiped a stray tear off the tip of my nose. "I'm sorry, but Evan killed himself."

Callie and Jude froze. They shared a look and immediately started to cry. Jude climbed into his sister's bed and held her in his arms.

After a little bit, Callie sat up and wiped tears away from her eyes. "We know that it must be strange to cry for the boy who tried to kill us, but he was our friend for ten years. He was corrupt, but he was family."

I explained to them that it was okay to feel sorrow for Evan; that it wasn't unusual at all.

The rest of the night was a blur. Lena showed up with the other kids and they all sat in Callie's room together, eating a sad dinner from the cafeteria. I called Gibbs and informed him of everything of that had happened over the last several hours. Later that night, Stef and Lena finally convinced Jude to go home with them with a little help from Callie.

I sat by her bed and just watched as she slept. She would stir every now and then, but was peaceful for most of the night. After the night nurse made her first round, I decided that I should get some sleep. I curled up in the dozed off to the steady beeping of Callie's heart monitor.

My dreams were filled with Evan, begging me to save him. But every time I failed.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! What would you like to see happen?**

 **A) Lena and Stef want to adopt Jude and Callie, but there is a problem.**

 **B) Callie reverts back to how she was at NI and gets sent to Juvie.**

 **C) Connor comes into the picture and helps Jude cope with what he is feeling.**

 **Let me know in the reviews OR pm me!**


	11. A New Friend

**I'm so sorry for such a long wait! I'll try super hard to get chapters out more regularly.**

 **So it seems like everyone is voting for option A and then some also want option C. I want to get this story going so I'm going to make a time jump.**

 **Callie's POV**

 _Six months later_

Evan's death hit Jude and me really hard. He was completely crazy and an asshole, but he was also a friend. We had him buried next to his parents in his hometown.

I laid in my bed and stared at the ceiling. My leg had finally healed nicely and I was allowed to start exercising at a normal pace. I was starting a job at NCIS the next day as a combat trainer. Ziva got me the job and Gibbs even put in a good word for me. Jude had started taking classes at Georgetown University and was excelling in all of his classes. He was finally starting to become a normal fourteen year old.

"Callie! It's time for dinner!" Stef's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. My stomach grumbled and I hurried downstairs.

"Lena made your favorite so we can celebrate your job tomorrow!" Jude beamed at me.

I inhaled deeply and soaked in the scent: biscuits and gravy. My mom used to make them all the time when she was home from deployment. I found her recipe buried in my personal belongings and gave it to Lena.

I split two biscuits on my plate and ladled the steaming gravy over them. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

"Whoa there missy! You have to save some for the rest of us!" Stef pulled the ladle out of my hand and shoved my shoulder jokingly.

We all sat around the table laughing and had a wonderful family dinner. Jesus shoveled down countless plates of the food and then begged Lena to make more because he was "so freaking starving!"

"Dude you will explode if you eat one more biscuit." Brandon laughed. He had finally warmed up to the idea of me and Jude being there and was actually acting like a normal foster brother.

"Jude, Ziva said you can come with me to NCIS tomorrow since you don't have class. I won't be doing anything except a bunch of paperwork. Do you wanna come?" I wiped my face with a napkin and started to clear the table. It was my turn to do dishes.

"Yeah sure if moms… I mean Stef and Lena don't care." His face turned bright red and he stared down at his lap.

Stef and Lena shared a smile. "Of course you can go with her, Jude." Lena rubbed his back in an effort to ease his embarrassment. "Brandon, can you drive them to the navy yard tomorrow before you go to school?"

Brandon swallowed his last bite of food and nodded. "Yeah. What time do you have to be there Callie?"

"Ziva said 8, but I want to be there early if that's okay. I was thinking 7:45?" I scraped left over food into the trash and started to rinse the dishes.

"Sure, we'll leave here at 7:30." He set his plate on the counter next to me and headed upstairs to do homework. Jesus, Jude, and Mariana followed soon after leaving me in the kitchen with Stef and Lena.

We sat in silence for a few minutes but I couldn't take it any longer. "I'm sorry that Jude called you moms. He should know better." I said, breaking the silence.

Stef sighed a little and stood next to me. "You don't have to apologize for that Callie. We don't mind, really!" She rubbed my shoulder and smiled widely.

"On our first night here, you said that you weren't expecting us to move out. What did that mean?" I prodded. I thought about those words every day since Stef said them.

"Come sit down, love." Stef turned off the water and motioned for me to sit at the table. "You know that you and Jude are very, _very_ special to us, yes?"

I nodded and Lena took over. "We wanted to talk to you and Jude together, but we figured that it would be best if we talked to you first." She took a deep breath and continued. "What do you think about making this a permanent home?" Lena grabbed my hand and rubbed small circles on my palm.

"Wait, do you mean like… _adopt us_?" My heart was pounding. I wanted to believe it but I also didn't want to get my hopes up.

Stef smiled widely and pulled me into a tight hug. "Of course we mean adopt you! We love you and your brother so much! You have brought so much joy and happiness into our lives and we want to give you a home. We want to give you a family."

I looked back and forth between them. They both stared back at me with wide, expectant eyes. "I wouldn't want to be a part of any other family." My cheeks flared bright red.

Stef squealed and squeezed me tighter. Lena wrapped her arms around both of us and peppered my cheek with kisses.

"Can you do me a favor?" I said after the celebration stopped. "Will you ask Jude like you asked me? Tell him that you haven't talked to me about it yet. He always feels like he is the last to know about everything. I think it would make him feel good."

Stef looked at Lena who stifled a laugh. "Actually, we talked to him about it yesterday. He badgered us about what was going to happen to the two of you so we just asked him! I'm sorry but you were with Ziva and he wouldn't let it alone!" An apologetic and worried look took over Stef's face.

I let out a loud laugh. "It's okay! Really, my feelings aren't hurt so please don't feel bad! I'm going to finish the dishes and then go get ready for bed. I have an early morning and a long day ahead of me!"

I scrubbed the last of the dishes and put them away while Stef and Lena talked about the schedules for the next day. I hugged them both goodnight and retired to my room. Mariana was talking to Mat, her boyfriend, while she painted her nails. I changed into my pajamas and curled up under the sheets. I zoned out after a while, drowning in my thoughts.

After ten years of hating what I had become, I was finally starting to feel normal again. After ten years of not knowing what day would be my last, I finally felt safe. After ten long years of believing that no one loved me, I was finally going to have a family. I fell asleep smiling and dreamt about my adoption day.

…

"Callie! Wake up! You're going to be late if you don't get up now!" Jude's voice pierced my sleep. I sat up quickly and checked my phone. It was 7:00 in the morning which meant I only had thirty minutes to get myself ready and eat a good breakfast.

I jumped out of my bed and flew into the bathroom to take a five minute shower. In the meantime, Jude laid out some clothes for me on my bed. Mariana braided my hair into two French braids and helped me do a little bit of professional-looking makeup. I was the exact polar opposite of Mariana. She loved dressing up in super cute clothes, painting her nails a different color every day, and always making sure her makeup was perfect. I, on the other hand, liked a simpler look. I rarely let her do my makeup, but when I did, she always did a fabulous job.

"Okay, I think that looks good!" Mariana said as she finished applying just a little bit of eyeliner. "I can't believe that you are going to have, like, a _real_ job. I wish I could be done with high school. It sucks!" She pouted as she handed me some lip balm.

"If I could go to school all day, believe me, I would. This is going to be so stressful! I'm only sixteen and I've basically been an adult since I was six. I just want my life to slow down." I looked at my hands and wrung my fingers together.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Mariana hugged me and led me downstairs to breakfast.

"Oh how nice of you ladies to join us!" Stef said jokingly. She placed two blueberry pancakes and a scoop of fruit on my plate.

"Hey, since I'm going to my _job_ today can I have a cup of coffee?" I asked pleadingly. I batted my eyes at Stef and pouted my lips a little.

"Absolutely not! You can have a glass of milk or orange juice. Which would you like?" Lena shot down my request, but her voice was only full of love.

I sighed sarcastically and accepted a glass of chocolate milk. Brandon, Jude, and I all ate quickly so we could make it to the navy yard on time. We were running out of the house at exactly 7:30 when Stef told the boys to go to the car and held me back in the house.

"Stef I have to go! I'm going to be late on my first day!" I tried to leave again but she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug.

"I want you to be safe today. You were only cleared for this job last week. Don't strain yourself. If you feel worn out, take a break. Do you hear me Callie?" She pushed me back but held onto my shoulders.

"I hear you loud and clear! I'm not even training anyone today. I have to fill out mountains of paperwork before I can do anything. But I really do have to go now!" I opened the door but Stef stopped me once again.

"Wait!" She grabbed a thermos off of the table by the door and handed it to me. "Don't tell mama." She whispered in my ear. I smiled at her and ran to the car. I jumped in the front seat and Brandon tore out of the driveway and sped down the road.

I opened the thermos and inhaled deeply. Coffee. I smiled and took a sip. As we drove to the navy yard, Stef's words replayed in my head. _'Don't tell mama.'_ It was the first time anyone had referred to either of them as mom or mama. I liked the sound of it.

"Okay we're here!" Brandon parked the car at the entrance to the navy yard and let me and Jude out. "Good luck!" He pulled away and sped off to school.

Jude grabbed my hand and pulled me through the security checks. I was suddenly more nervous than ever. My palms started to sweat and my breath became shallow.

"Hey, you're going to just fine! You are so good at this and you are going to make the agents so much better at combat. And maybe one day you will be able to be an agent yourself!" Jude pulled me into a tight hug as he reassured me.

"Callie! Happy first day of work, my dear!" Rose's warming voice greeted us as we entered headquarters. "Here you go!" She handed me a visitor's badge and I slipped it on my neck. She laughed a little and shook her head. "That's for your brother silly! You aren't a visitor anymore!"

"Oh yeah." My cheeks reddened and I handed the badge to Jude who eagerly put it on. "Do I need anything?"

"You'll get everything upstairs." Rose squeezed me into a tight hug. "Good luck sweetie. Have fun and don't let Tony get on your nerves!"

"Thanks Rose!" I called as we headed for the elevators.

The ride upstairs felt like it took an hour. Jude kept telling me that everything was going to be fine and that I was going to do great. Even though I wanted to believe him, my anxiety kept pulling me back into a dark hole.

The doors opened and the open floor before me was swarming with people. I led Jude over to where Gibbs' team was.

"Hey, kid. How's the leg?" Gibbs patted me on the back and showed me to a desk.

"My doctor gave me the all clear for regular and intensive training!" I smiled proudly at Gibbs. He somehow made me feel so safe. He reminded me a lot of my dad; strong, well-rounded, and _very_ intense.

He smiled back at me and pushed a chair over for Jude to sit in. They shook hands and then Gibbs ruffled Jude's hair and pushed him playfully. Jude and Gibbs hit it off the moment they met each other.

Ziva, Tony, and McGee joined Gibbs around my desk. Tony presented a small box with a red ribbon tied around it. "Happy first day kiddo." Tony said as he handed it to me.

I opened the box and revealed my NCIS credentials. I opened the black wallet-looking thing and saw a shiny gold badge. "I get a badge?!"

"Yes you do! Everyone with a priority-level job has a badge. You'll have to go downstairs to human resources to get your picture take, but after that your creds are complete!" McGee smiled down at me proudly.

Gibbs' cell phone rang and he stepped away to his own desk.

"Gear up!" He said seconds later. "We got a dead Marine at the Pentagon."

The team dashed to their desks.

"Callie, Jen from human resources will be up soon to walk you through the paperwork process. We'll be back soon. Think you can hold down the fort until we get back?" Gibbs winked.

"Dad! Your dollar bill is crinkled and the vending machine won't take it." A boy about Jude's age rounded the corner.

"Connor I don't know what to tell you! I have to go so you will just have to wait until I get back." Tony said to the boy. He ran to catch up with the team in the elevator and shot Connor an apologetic look.

Connor groaned loudly and slumped down in Tony's chair.

"You're Tony's son?" Jude asked curiously.

"Yep, Connor DiNozzo. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand and Jude shook it firmly. "What, did he never mention me or something?"

"Well he told us he had a son, but he never told us your name." I answered.

"Yeah, my dad is kind of private about me. I lived with my mom in California for the last five years after they got a divorce."

"What made you move back to D.C.?" Jude prodded.

Connor dropped his head and avoided eye contact. Silence filled the empty space between us. "She has some mental issues; multiple personality disorder, severe OCD, depression. My dad finally figured out something was really wrong and got full custody of me." He looked up quickly. "But she is in a facility where she can get help! My dad even said that he could find her a place here so she could be close to me."

"Well, I'm sorry that she is going through that, but I'm glad that she's getting help." Jude squeezed Connor's shoulder reassuringly.

"Ms. Jacob?" A voice from behind me called. "Hi, I'm Jen from Human Resources. If you want to come with me I can get you started on your paperwork."

I smiled politely and followed the young woman towards the elevator.

"Hey, wanna go see autopsy? It's so cool! And Ducky is super awesome!" I heard Connor ask Jude.

I turned around and saw the two laughing as they ran for the stairs. I smiled at them. Jude was making a friend. He was coming so far from the rigid boy he was just half a year before. The elevator doors closed and I breathed in deeply. My life was finally starting to feel more normal than it had in my entire lifetime.

 **I hope you liked this chapter! It took me FOREVER to write this. I feel like it isn't very action-packed like the other chapters. Sorry if it felt like if dragged on for a long time! Let me know what you would like to see next!**


	12. Opening Up

**Jude's POV**

A few years after my sister and I got to New Intelligence I started to realize that I was "different". All of the other guys were trying to impress the girls and soon enough everyone started dating each other and hooking up when we got older. A few girls would flirt with me and I was flattered, but it wasn't the kind of attention that I wanted. Well, I guess the attention wasn't from _who_ I wanted it to be from. None of the other guys were gay and they were all kind of freaked out by it. So I was basically alone, in a sense, for ten years. But I guess that worked to my advantage. I was able to focus on my training and I climbed through the ranks quickly.

But ever since I got to the Adams-Fosters' I was able to be myself. Having two foster moms really helped with that. And they didn't expect me to define my sexuality, which I really appreciated. I think they could tell, though. It wasn't like I was super flamboyant or anything. I just never talked about any girls.

I'd also come to the conclusion that I would probably be alone until I was much older. Hardly any guys my age were out of the closet and the ones that were weren't really my type. I didn't really have crushes on any guys, I just thought some were cute. But Connor DiNozzo was a whole different story. As soon as I saw him my heart started to beat faster and my mouth went dry. He was the most handsome guy I had ever seen in my life. His sandy-blonde hair framed his face perfectly, his hazel eyes burned into mine, and his dimples made my heart swell. And that was just his face! His body, _my God,_ his body! He was so muscular and tan. I'd never developed feelings for another guy so quickly.

"Dude! You've been staring off into space for like thirty minutes. What's up with you?" Jesus through a pillow at me and knocked me out of my daydream of the perfect boy.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about earlier today." I smiled and looked down at my hands.

"Callie said you met Agent DiNozzo's son. What's his name…? Carter? Do you think he could be a possible friend?"

"It's Connor and yeah, I do. We actually have plans to go to the batting cages this weekend. Tony is going to take us." The weekend was still two days away but I couldn't wait.

"Well I'm happy for you bro. I'm sure it's not super easy to make friends at college when you're so much younger than everyone else."

"Yeah, it gets kind of lonely, but it's alright." I tossed the pillow back to Jesus. "I'm gonna go down and do some homework."

"Hey, tell moms that I'm not going to be here for dinner! I'm going to Emma's house so she can help me with my math homework." Jesus called after me.

I nodded and went down to the kitchen to work on a paper for my Political Science class.

"Hey buddy! I hear you had a good day at NCIS today. Mom said that you met a new friend." Lena greeted me as I entered the kitchen. She was mixing a salad for dinner and swatted my hand away when I snatched a tomato out of the bowl.

"Yeah, his name is Connor and he super hand-… I mean super cool." My cheeks flushed as I caught myself from almost calling him handsome.

Lena smiled at me and sat down on the stool next to me. "Jude, sweetie, can we talk about a few things?" She patted my hand to get my attention.

I nodded and dreaded the conversation that was about to ensue.

"Mom and I haven't ever asked you about this because we figured you would tell us if you wanted too. But I just want to say something. You don't have to hide anything from us." Her brow crumpled as she tried to find the right words to say.

"You're trying to say that if I'm gay it doesn't make a difference to you and Stef, right?" I interjected. I wanted to conversation to be over with so I pushed it along.

Lena nodded. "We don't expect you to define yourself. If you want to label yourself as gay, then that is just fine. If you don't want to put a label on who you love, that's okay too. We will love you either way." She kissed my cheek and continued. "So, this Connor… he's cute?"

I blushed again. "Very." I said quietly. I was mortified, but at the same time, it felt good to say it out loud to someone. "But he isn't gay."

"He told you this?" Lena's eyes softened.

"No, but I can tell. He's a jock! He's probably the kind of guy that would pound on guys like me if he knew I was, you know… gay." As soon as I said those words, it felt like a weight was being lifted off of my shoulders.

"Hey now! Mom and I always teach you guys to not judge someone based on their appearances. If we would have done that to you and Callie neither of you would be here. When we met you in the hospital we never thought that you would be with us for long. You both looked so…"

"Rigid, heartless, murdery?" I finished for her.

"You did not look murdery, if that is even a word. You just looked like you could survive on your own, like you didn't need or want to be with us. But look at us now! We love you and your sister more than you could ever know. And that is because we gave you a chance. I think you should give Connor a chance, too. Maybe he isn't gay but that doesn't mean that you two can't be friends." She kissed my cheek again and went back to making dinner.

"Thanks Lena. That makes me feel a lot better." I opened up my computer to start working on my papere, but her sigh pulled me back to the conversation. "Is everything okay?"

"Jude, you don't have to call mom and me by our first names if you don't want to. I know that it might be hard, because your parents were unjustly taken from you, but we want you to know that you _can_ call us mom and mama." She smiled sweetly at me and caressed my face.

"Callie always told me that we wouldn't have parents again. I always figured that was the case, but I held on to just a little glimmer of hope. And then when we got here, we decided that we wouldn't get attached in case you sent us away. Now you are adopting us, but I guess I'm still scared that something is going to happen and you won't really get to be our moms." I confessed. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that things usually don't work in our favor, you know?"

"Don't you fear, my love. You and Callie have family now. And we love you so, so much. We will fight any obstacle that might come our way." She pulled me into a tight hug and held me for a few minutes. "Okay, you need to get started on that paper and I need to hurry up and get food done for when mom gets home!" She wiped a single tear away from her cheek and then started to sing as she cooked.

"Can you do me favor?" I asked. Lena nodded so I continued. "Will you and mom talk to Callie? She had it pretty rough at New Intelligence and doesn't really talk about it much. I think she is suppressing some of her feelings. She does that sometimes. And when she eventually explodes, it isn't pretty. She needs to know that she can trust the both you with anything; even the bad stuff. She gets panic attacks too. I'm scared that this job is going to set her off."

"Of course we'll talk to her, love. I'll talk to mom when she gets home and then the three of us will sit down together sometime today or tomorrow."

I smiled and finally got started on my paper.

 **Lena's POV**

"Jude and I had a nice talk today. He opened up to me about some stuff." I said to my wife as we prepared for bed. "Stef, he defined himself as gay."

Stef's eyes lit up with pride. "I never thought he would do it! Do you think he would ever be open about it at school?"

"I'm not sure. I think it scares him to know that his love isn't accepted in a lot of settings. Obviously we just need to make sure he knows that we support him. Anyway, how did Callie sound when she call you at lunch?"

Stef laughed a little. "Completely frazzled! She has mountains of paperwork to do and they want her to get it done by the end of the week so she can start training people on Monday. But, I think she has settled in nicely. She has a great relationship with Gibbs and Ziva so I'm sure they will help her with anything she needs." She crawled in the bed and wrapped her strong arms around me.

"Stef, Jude said something else today. He wants us to talk to Callie about when she was in New Intelligence. I guess she had it worse than him."

Stef tensed next to me. She always got so worried about Callie. They had a special bond and I think Stef felt some of Callie's pain and suffering.

"He also said that she gets panic attacks sometimes. I think we should talk to her about going into therapy again. I know she didn't want to a couple months ago, but I think it could help her."

"Okay, let's talk to her tomorrow. I can talk to her a little when I take her to work but then the two of us can sit down with her when we get home tomorrow night." She kissed me softly and pushed my hair out of my eyes. "I love you."

"Not as much as I love you!" I kissed her back and pulled her into a tight hug.

We laughed quietly. Soon after we fell asleep in each other's arms; happy and safe.

 **What would you like to see happen with Connor and Jude? I already have some ideas, but I'd like your input. Should the relationship happen fast or slow? Who should instigate it? Let me know in the reviews!**


	13. Memories

**This chapter is going to be a little different. I'm going to have it be from several of the character's point of view. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, I got some reviews and PMs saying that they would like to see this stay more focused on Callie instead of Connor and Jude. The story will still focus on Callie, but I do want to put Jude and Connor in there. All of my stories have Callie as the point person and I would like to shake it up a bit.**

 **Stef's POV**

I drove Callie to work the next morning and tried to find the right words to say to her.

"So, uh, how was your first day?" I said nervously. It was so weird; I was _nervous_ to talk to my daughter.

"Didn't we talk about this last night at dinner?" She said as she glanced up from her phone. She could tell that something was up. After all she was trained to observe and read people.

I laughed a little. "Yeah, I just wanted to break the silence I guess. Callie?"

"Hmm?" She hummed, focusing her attention on her phone.

"Love, I need you to pay attention to me for just two seconds." I said more firmly.

Callie set her phone down in her lap. "Sorry, Ziva was texting me about the case they caught yesterday."

"Callie, I want you to know that you can come to me or mama about anything. You do know that you can trust us, yes?" I grabbed her hand to try and reassure her but only felt her tense under my touch.

"Did Jude say something to you or Lena?" She whipped her head to the side so she was facing me.

We pulled into the navy yard so I parked and shut off the car. "No, he didn't." I lied. "You just get kind of distant sometimes and I just wanted to make sure that everything is okay."

"I'm fine." Callie said harshly. She glanced at her watch and grabbed her bag and coat from the backseat. "I have to go. I'm going to be late."

Without saying another word, not a goodbye or an "I love you", she got out of the car and jogged to the NCIS building.

I sighed loudly and sent a quick text to Lena.

 _I think she's onto us. She got very defensive. We need to talk to her tonight. There is definitely something that she is suppressing._

She wrote back quickly:

 _Don't worry yourself too much, my love. I'm sure she will be fine. Call me at lunch. xoxo_

I took a deep breath and told myself to just let it go for the time being. But, Callie's sudden change in attitude stuck with me all day.

 **Callie's POV**

Jude had to have said something to Stef and Lena. I'm very good at concealing my emotions everyone except for Jude. I knew something was up when Stef started getting all nervous in the car on the way to the navy yard. I knew that a longer talk was going to be coming that night, but I just pushed it out of my mind while I was at work.

Once I got to my desk, I sat down and started in on the paperwork that had piled up. I tried to go slowly so I would have to work on it when I got home, hoping that it would be a good excuse to at least post-pone the talk with Stef and Lena.

"Hey kiddo, you look like you could use a pick-me-up." Gibbs said as he set down a cup of coffee on my desk.

"Thanks Gibbs." I smiled and took a long drink. The coffee was perfect: dark roast and no added sugar or creamer.

"Gibbs, Tony and McGee are bringing up the suspect. They should be up here any minute." Ziva said, out of breath from running up the stairs.

Gibbs nodded and turned to me. "The guy that is being brought up is a really bad guy, Cal. He killed a Marine and seriously injured another. Stay at your desk; I don't want you getting hurt."

Just as he finished talking, the elevator doors opened and the squad room was filled with angry screaming.

Gibbs and Ziva ran over to help DiNozzo and McGee control the guy.

"Get the hell off of me! I will kill you all! Do you hear me? I'll kill all of you!" I tried not to look up, but my attention was gained when Tony screamed followed by yelps and cries of pain from the rest of the team.

The guy had broken free from the agents' hold and the zip-tie cuffs that secured his wrists and was running in a bee-line for the stairs.

I jumped up from my desk and ran after him.

"Callie, NO!" Ziva yelled at me.

I ignored her protest and slid to a stop just before I slammed into the criminal. I kicked his knee to the side which sent him to the ground. He screamed and cursed at me as he kicked my legs out from under me.

I fell to the ground but regained my composure quickly and avoided his fist that would have slammed into my face. We both jumped to our feet, ready to take the other one down. He lunged at me, grabbed me by my torso, and threw me into a wall. He lunged once again, but I was quicker. I punched him in the throat as he was coming at me. He was gasping for breath which allowed me to put a pressure point in his neck and make him pass out.

It all happened so fast that the team couldn't even get to us before I subdued him.

"What the hell did I tell you to do?!" Gibbs screamed at me. "I told you to stay at your damn desk! He is a murder Callie!"

"What did you expect me to do Gibbs?! Let him run out of the building? He'd already hurt all four of you! I did what I was trained to do and I subdued the suspect! What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry that I helped? Fine! I'm sorry that I didn't let him escape! Happy?" I yelled back. I stormed off to my desk and grabbed some paperwork and headed down to Abby's lab.

 **Ziva's POV**

Gibbs and Callie finally stopped screaming at each other and Callie ran off to the elevator, probably going down to Abby's lab or to autopsy.

Gibbs stood beside me fuming. His lip was bleeding and a bruise was already forming by his eyebrow. Tony and McGee ran over and hauled Thomas, the suspect, off to an interrogation room.

"Gibbs, she didn't try and defy your orders. She–" I was cut off by my boss spinning around violently to face me.

"What do you mean she didn't _try_ to defy me? She completely disregarded what I told her and threw herself at the beast! She could have gotten killed!" His words were filled with anger, but his face was plastered with fear.

"She reacted to the situation! New Intelligence pounded it into their heads to fight when the situation presents itself! She wasn't thinking when she ran at Thomas. She wasn't in her head. Just cut her some slack, okay?" I pleaded. Once I got a nod from Gibbs I walked to the elevator to go find Callie.

 _Come down to my lab. Callie is in here and she's pretty upset._

Abby's text lit up my phone and I hit the button for the lab.

When I got downstairs Abby's music was blaring and Callie was in the office screaming at no one.

"What's going on?" I asked when I reached Abby.

"I don't know! She just stormed in and locked herself in my office. She cried for a split second and then turned on the music. She's been yelling ever since. I can't really make out what she is saying, but I know that she is swearing _a lot_. I think you should go in there." Abby said. Her voice was full of worry and she pushed me towards the automatic doors.

I walked in and turned off the music, but that didn't stop Callie's yelling.

"Do you realize how much they messed us up? Jude _still_ has nightmares! He thinks that they are going to come and kill us for betraying them! And I would be lying if I said that I didn't think the same thing. I want to trust Stef and Lena, but I can't! The last time I loved people as much as I love them, they were taken from me! I'm scared that if I get attached to them they are going to be taken away from me just like you and dad were!" Callie's voice cracked but she didn't stop. "Are you even listening to me, mom?! Why did you and dad have to agree to that last tour? You damn well know that neither of you had to go. You'd only been home for two months! You had two kids at home who needed you both! Were you really that unattached to your own children that you just had to go halfway across the world to get away from us? Did you really hate us that much?" She was crying freely now and tried to get more words out, but failed to do so.

I decided that it was a good time to move in as I might not have gotten another chance for a while. I took a step closer and put my hand on her should to try and comfort her. But, it must have scared her because she whipped around and tried to hit me. Luckily my Mossad training prepared me for this. I caught her arm, but instead of fighting back, I just wrapped her into a tight hug and tried to make her feel safe.

"Hey you're safe now, okay?" I slowly pulled her to the ground with me. After a few moments of struggling against me, Callie finally relaxed and let her guard down. Tears poured down her face and soaked into my shirt. "Gibbs isn't mad at you. He was just afraid that you were going to get hurt."

"Ziva…" I heard from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Abby standing at her desk. "I don't think that's what she was upset about."

I looked at her puzzled but before she could go on, Callie cut in. "I'm not mad at Gibbs. I'm mad at my parents. They should have been here to protect us. They both agreed to another tour when they had barely been home. They were supposed to be getting out of the military. Neither of them really wanted to be parents that much. It was their escape from us." She pulled away and wiped her tears. "If they would have stayed home Jude and I wouldn't have been kidnapped and turned into killers." She looked down at her hands dejectedly.

"Hey, I'm sure that your parents loved your very much. They had duty to serve their country. They answered the call." I said reassuringly.

"And they didn't have a duty to their children?" Callie got up off the ground and walked into the lab. "I have a lot of work to do." She grabbed the paperwork and stormed out of the room.

I started to go after her, but Abby stopped me. "Let her go. She just needs some time to cool off. Just let her do her own thing for the day."

I sighed in defeat, but knew that Abby was right.

 **Connor's POV**

I was stuck at work with my dad for the second day in a row. He was trying to get me into a fancy charter school called Anchor Beach. We were waiting for my entrance exam results to come back and he didn't want me to be in his apartment alone all day so I had to hang out at NCIS all day.

I was spinning around in his desk chair when Callie sat down at her desk rather angrily. She looked like she'd been crying.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked cautiously.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks." She said abruptly.

"I don't want to distract you, but I did want to talk to you about something really quick." I waited for her to acknowledge me before I went on. She looked up and nodded so I continued. "Uh, so Jude… he seems really cool. I know that he agreed to go to the batting cages with me and my dad on Saturday, but I was wondering if he seemed excited at all. It's just that when I asked him he seemed a little hesitant. Did he say anything about it… or me?" My cheeks blushed for some reason. I tried to make it stop but couldn't.

Callie smiled and turned in her chair to face me. "Jude is very excited to hang out with you on Saturday. He kept saying how cool it is going to be. He probably seemed hesitant because he's never played baseball before. I'm sure he just doesn't want to embarrass himself."

"Oh, well tell him that he shouldn't be embarrassed. Even if he isn't good! My dad and I can help him get better if he wants!" I realized that my voice sounded a little too "giddy".

"Alright, well I'll pass along the message." Callie said with a little laugh.

I smiled back at her. I moved closer to my dad's desk and started working on a drawing I had started earlier. It was a portrait of Jude. He had such strong features that I just had to draw them. I don't know what it was about him, but he had my full attention every time we talked.

 **Callie's POV**

Ziva gave me a ride home from work that day. I'd texted Mariana and told her to tell Stef that I didn't need a ride. The whole car ride back to my house was really awkward. We tried to make polite conversation, but it just fell flat on its face.

When she pulled into my driveway I said thanks and goodnight, but she stopped before I could get out.

"Listen, give Stef and Lena a chance okay? Don't be scared to trust them or to open up. I'm sure they just want to help you. And if you feel like you can't talk to them, you know that you can always talk to me about anything, right?" Ziva asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I know Ziva. Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow." I jumped out of her car before she could say anything.

I walked inside quickly and tried to go straight to my room but Lena's voice stopped me.

"Callie, can we talk to you for a minute sweetie?"

I turned around slowly and saw Stef and Lena sitting on the couch with an empty space in between them that was obviously meant for me.

"I actually have a lot of paperwork that still needs to be done by tomorrow. I'm going to go upstairs and work on it before dinner." I ran up the stairs before they could stop me.

I shut the door and sighed in relief when I saw that Mariana wasn't in the room. I tossed my bag on my bed and started to change into more comfortable clothes, but the pain stopped me. I walked over to my mirror and examined myself. Black and blue bruises painted my back and arms from where Thomas slammed me into the wall.

There was a knock at my door and I scrambled to put a shirt on but was too slow.

"Callie, we need to talk." Stef said from the doorway. "We understand that– What the hell happened to you?!"

I whipped around and saw Stef and Lena standing in my room with worried looks on their faces.

"I'll say it again: What the hell happened Callie?!"

 **Leave me some reviews on what you would like to see happen next!**


	14. Hateful Words

**Leave me some reviews on what you would like to see happen next!**

 **Okay, just so you all know, I have a BIG plan for Jude. It is going to shape a lot of this story. I think I'm going to start it in this chapter, but maybe the next one. And it is going to be pretty intense and not very good for our Judicorn. Don't be mad at me please! Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter! (I'm putting off studying for my finals so I can write this for you)**

 ***WARNING* This chapter talks about sexual assault.**

 **Callie's POV**

"I'll say it again: What the hell happened Callie?!" Stef's voice rang in my ears. Her words weren't angry but they scared me.

I pulled my t-shirt down and sat down on my bed as I tried to figure out how to explain what had happened earlier that day. Stef and Lena both sat down on either side of me.

"Did somebody hurt you? Is that why you rushed up to your room so fast?" Lena squeezed my hand and spoke softly to me.

"Of course someone hurt her Lena! Did you not see the bruises on her back?" Stef spit back. I knew she wasn't angry at me, but the louder she got the more nervous I became.

"Would you stop yelling?! You don't have to get pissed at Lena!" I jumped up and backed away from the bed. "Listen, Tony and McGee were bringing up a suspect but he went crazy. He broke free of his restraints and assaulted the team. He was running for the stairs so I chased him down. After a little struggle he picked me up and slammed me into a wall. But I subdued him quickly after that. He got the worst of it, trust me."

"Those bruises are really bad, love. We need to get you to a doctor to make sure you don't have any broken ribs." Lena took a couple strides over to me and led me back to the bed.

"Ducky already checked me out. He said that nothing was broken or fractured. The bruising is intense but it will heal. He said that I shouldn't be in any pain by the middle of next week. I still have some pain medication for my leg and Ducky said I can take some of those if the pain is too bad. Actually, he said that that medicine is what a doctor would have prescribed me had we gone in for a check-up. I'll be fine." I took in a few deep breaths and tried to calm myself down.

"I don't like you working in a place where you are going to get slammed into walls. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Lena rubbed her forehead and sighed deeply.

"It's not going to be a daily occurrence. Trust me, I've taken worse than this. I was shot three times within two days!" I tried to sound lighthearted but Stef shot me a look as if to say "not the time".

"Okay, well you are going to take it easy for the next week. That means no training and no exercising at home. Understood?" Stef asked matter-o-factly.

"Yes ma'am." I replied with just a hint of sass in my voice. I expected them to leave after that, but I guess they decided that it would be a good time to talk.

"Well now that we have your attention, we're going to have that talk." Lena pulled Mariana's desk chair over and sat down in front of me. Stef wrapped a gentle arm around my shoulders and pulled me close so she could kiss my temple.

"Earlier when you asked me if Jude had said anything to mama or me… I lied." Stef squeezed me gently. "I'm sorry that I lied to you but I didn't want you to be mad at your brother all day."

"Jude and I had a talk yesterday and he asked us if we would talk to you. He said that you had it pretty rough at New Intelligence and that you get panic attacks sometimes. Can we talk about that?" Lena grabbed my hands and rubbed small circles on my palms with her thumbs.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked even though I knew the answer was no. I sighed and decided that I might as well get it over with. "Yeah, I had it the worst at the agency. Jude and I were hand-picked by Commander Doran. Actually, they just wanted me but decided they had to take us both. Doran wanted me to be in command. I was on the fast track for her position. If I wouldn't have brought NI down, I probably would have been the Commander by this time next year. Anyway, they had to be really tough on me. I had to be desensitized to everything: pain, mental and physical exhaustion, torture… It all had to be nothing to me. They would ambush me like three times a month. The trainers would come in and grab me while I was in the shower and "prepare" me…" My voice trailed off as I recalled the memories that I had tried so hard to forget.

"What would they do to you love?" Stef asked so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.

I cleared my throat and continued as I tried to choke back tears. "Uhh, they would make me stay awake for long periods of time, they would try and get top-secret information out of me, they'd beat me, and they would… touch me." I shook the images from my head. "But it was all part of the training regimen. I had to do it if I wanted to become the Commander."

"What do you mean they would touch you?" Lena asked.

I crumpled into myself, not wanting to reveal one of the worst times in my life.

"Would you be more comfortable if it were just you and mom talking?" Lena rubbed my hands and gave them a little squeeze.

I nodded ever so slightly. I felt bad; I didn't want to hurt Lena's feelings.

"Okay, I'll just be downstairs if you need me." She stood, kissed the top of my head, and closed the door softly behind her.

"Alright my love. It's just you and me now. Can you tell me what you meant by that?" Stef scooted back on the bed so her back was against the headboard and pulled me with her. She wrapped both arms around me. It felt nice; warm and safe.

"It wasn't part of the training. They just did it because they could. When they would pull me out of the shower during an ambush, they wouldn't even put a towel over me. They just hauled me to the 'training' room. And they'd cop a feel any chance they got; said it was an accident. That their hand 'slipped' in between my legs." I shuddered at my words. They made me feel filthy. "Then one of the trainers got _in_ the shower with me. He showed me a knife and said if I screamed he would kill me. I tried to fight him off, but I was in a vulnerable position. I should have tried harder! That kind of situation is exactly what I was training for!"

"Callie, no matter how much you train yourself, you never know how you will respond in those situations. I have met several of cops and military members who found themselves in similar positions and were unable to fight off their attacker." Stef paused for just a moment. "What did that man do to you, love?"

"He didn't rape me or anything. He just made me touch him and he touched me. I just closed my eyes and prayed it would be over soon. When he realized that I wasn't 'in to it' he slapped me across the face and left. I decided that I'd had enough so I told Commander Doran. She was absolutely pissed. She pulled some strings and got all four of them put into a maximum security prison. I guess they were killed when the other prisoners found out why they were there."

"What would you think about talking to a therapist? I know that you didn't want to a few months ago, but mama and I think it would be beneficial to you." Stef rocked me a little and I could tell by her body language that she wanted me to say yes more than anything.

"Commander Doran called in a shrink for me when she found out what they were doing to me. It did help. But I didn't get to talk to him about how much I hated it there. So, I guess I will try it. But if I don't like it can I stop?" I looked up at my foster mom and pleaded with my eyes.

"Absolutely. We don't want to make you do anything that you aren't comfortable doing. Can we also talk about the panic attacks? Do you know why you get them?"

"Oh, I have had those since I was a little kid. I used to get one every time one of my parents left for a tour. Then when they were home I would get them even when they were just running errands. I always thought that they were going to leave me forever. And when they died, the attacks stopped. I guess I knew that my parents were gone for good and there wasn't really a reason to be scared anymore. I got a few when I was at NI. And now that I have this family I'm starting to get them again. I'm scared I'm going to lose all of you." I confessed. I felt my cheeks blush as I opened myself up.

"You aren't going to lose us, I promise. Maybe this is something that you can talk to the therapist about. I'm sure he or she could help you deal with them."

"Thanks for making me talk. It felt good to get that stuff out in the open." I smiled up at Stef.

"Anything for you, my love. Well, I guess I better let you be alone for a while huh?" She started to get up but I held on.

"Will you just sit here with me for a little bit? I don't want you to go yet." I snuggled closer and laid my head on her chest.

"Of course I will." She pulled the blanket over us and within ten minutes I was fast asleep.

 **Jude's POV**

I went downstairs to ask Lena a question but found the kitchen to be empty. There was a note on the table. I picked it up and read it.

 _I had to run to the store. I won't be gone long.. xoxo Mama_

I smiled and walked up the stairs to find Stef. She wasn't in her bedroom so I checked in Callie and Mariana's room.

I found her snuggled up with Callie in the small bed.

"Mom?" I asked quietly from the doorway. Callie was asleep and I didn't want to wake her.

"Yeah baby, what's up?" She shifted Callie a little so she could turn and look at me easier.

"I have to go to a silent movie for my film class. Mama is at the store. Is it okay if I just ride my bike? The theater isn't too far from here."

Stef nodded. "Sure, just text me when you get there and when you are leaving to come home, okay?"

I agreed and shut the door quietly behind me. I ran down to the garage and pedaled away down the street. The theater was a ten minute bike ride and the movie was starting in seven minutes. I raced towards town as fast as I could.

I sat down just in time for the movie to start and texted Stef that I had just arrived. The movie was incredibly boring, it was a silent film after all. I didn't even know the name of it. But, I took notes as best as I could and tried to make the time go faster. By the time the final credits rolled around I was about ready to fall asleep. I shoved my notebook into by backpack and headed out of the theater. It was dark outside and had just started to snow. When I went to unlock my bike I saw that the chain was broken.

I sighed out of frustration and started to walk back. Remembering that I had to text Stef and tell that I was on my way home, I pulled off to the edge of the sidewalk and leaned against a building.

"Hey, you're the fag in my film class!" A gruff voice said. I looked up and saw a familiar kid walking towards me from the theater.

"Excuse me?" My anger started boiling inside me. I hated that word. "What did you just call me?"

"I called you a fag! I see the way you look at the guys in our class. You're a freak!" He was standing close to me at that point and spit in my face.

"I suggest you walk away, man. Trust me, you do not want to get into it with me." I balled my fists up and restrained myself from knocking him square on his ass.

"Dude! You're like ten years old! I'm on the wrestling team. I would kick your ass!" He stepped closer, almost begging me to make a move.

I shook my head and started to walk away. But before I could grab my bike he pulled me by my sweatshirt into an alley. He put a hand over my mouth and punched me in the face. I regained my balance and landed a solid hit on his jaw.

"You little bastard!" He was pissed at his point. He put me in a headlock and put a hand over my mouth. He dragged me further down the alley and into a little alcove. We couldn't be seen from the road.

"Get the hell off of me!" I screamed from behind his hand.

"Shut up! If you don't shut the hell up I'm going to kill you!" His icy blue eyes stared into mine. They were full of hate. "I'm just going to give you what I know you want."

He flipped me onto my stomach and pulled my shorts down to my knees. I heard him undo his zipper and I froze. I wanted to scream and run but my brain couldn't make my body work. It was like I was floating above myself. Almost like I was watching what was happening to me.

I felt him press into me. I felt more pain than I had ever felt in my entire life.

I heard him grunting and breathing heavily. He masked my whimpers.

I felt his sweat drop onto my back. And I felt my tears drop onto my hands.

It lasted for a long time. He whispered hateful words into my ear and laughed when he saw me wince in agony.

When he was done he threw me to the ground and kicked me in the stomach. He threatened to kill me again if I told anyone.

He walked away like nothing even happened.

I pulled up my shorts and laid on the ground hugging my knees to my chest. My phone rang in my pocket but I ignored it. I was numb to everything.

 **Lena's POV**

"He should be home by now. He should have been back thirty minutes ago!" Callie paced back and forth in the kitchen rubbing her forehead.

"I'll call him. Don't worry yourself too much, okay?" I gave her a reassuring hug and went in the other room to call Jude.

The phone rang and rang but just went to his voicemail.

"Jude, its mama. I need you to call me back immediately. You were supposed to be back thirty minutes ago. Just please call so we know everything is okay." I hung up and went back to the kitchen to join my worried wife and children.

"Should we go look for him?" Jesus suggested.

"Yeah, me and Jesus could go drive around. Maybe he just got lost." Brandon offered.

"Jude has a very good sense of direction. And if he did get lost he would call one of us." Callie shot down Brandon's suggestion.

"I'm sure the movie just ran long. Or maybe he stopped to get a sandwich." Mariana placed a gentle had on Callie's shoulder.

We all sat in silence for a couple minutes waiting for a call. All of us jumped when Callie's phone rang.

"Jude! Where are you? Why haven't you– Connor? Why do you have Jude's phone?" Callie's face crumpled in confusion. After a minute all relief left her face and worry and anger took its place. "What hospital?"

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"We'll be there in five minutes." Callie hung up the phone and wiped a tear from her eye. "That was Connor DiNozzo, the kid Jude met at NCIS yesterday. He and Tony were walking back to their apartment when they heard groaning from an alley. They went down and found Jude laying in a puddle. They think he might have been mugged. They're taking him to St. Mary's hospital."

Stef sprang into action. "Jesus, go pack a change of clothes for Jude. The clothes he's wearing now will be held as evidence. Brandon, go warm up the cars. Callie, go get anything he might want in case he has to stay overnight. Mariana, go call Mike and have him and Captain Roberts meet us at the hospital."

The kids all took off to do what they were told which just left Stef and me alone in the kitchen.

"What do we do?" I asked softly.

She sighed. "We hold each other. One of our children is hurt. We need to lean on each other for just a minute." She wrapped me in her strong arms. We stood there together as we waited for the kids to come back.

After a couple minutes everyone was ready to go and we piled into both cars. Stef and I drove with Callie and Mariana while Brandon drove Jesus.

The car ride was short but silent the whole time. We were all just praying that Jude wouldn't be seriously hurt.

We pulled up to the hospital and ran inside.

"Hi, I'm Stef Adams-Foster and this is my wife Lena. Our son Jude was brought in." Stef told the emergency room nurse.

"Mrs. Adams-Foster? I'm Dr. Mendez. I'm your son's doctor tonight." A young doctor grabbed our attention and led us to the waiting room.

"We were told that he was mugged. Is he okay?" I said through tears.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry but you've been mistaken." Dr. Mendez looked at the other four kids; their wide expectant eyes waiting for him to continue. "Maybe the three of us should go talk privately."

 **I hope you aren't too mad at me for hurting our precious Jude! But this is the segway I had planned for Jude and Connor's relationship to bud. Let me know what you think!**


	15. Truth

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION. PLEASE READ.**

 **So some of the reviews that were left for the last chapter made it seem like you guys were kind of annoyed with me/how the story is going. I just want to address some things before I go any further with the story. 1) I'm sorry if you don't like that I put Jude and Connor in the story. But, I was planning on introducing Connor before I even published this. I hope it won't deter you from reading the rest. 2) Some of you were confused as to why Jude couldn't fend off the college kid. I was trying to portray that no matter who you are, a trained spy or an average Joe, you can fall victim to abuse. Just because Jude was highly trained for that kind of situation doesn't mean that he wouldn't freeze in the moment. Sexual assault/rape is something that NO ONE is ever prepared for. You never know how you will react. I felt like I built Callie and Jude up to be these super-humans who couldn't destroy anyone who tried to hurt them. I'm trying to show you that that isn't necessarily the case. I hope I didn't upset too many of you with the last chapter. Please read on.**

 **Stef's POV**

"Oh, um, I'm sorry but you've been mistaken." Dr. Mendez paused and looked at the kids who were staring at him intently. He leaned in closer to Lena and me. "Maybe the three of us should go talk privately."

After he said those words my heart nearly stopped beating. Was Jude more seriously injured than we thought? Was he going to survive this?

"No!" Callie jumped up from her seat as she shouted. "I want to hear what's happened to my brother. I need to be there to protect him." Her face was plastered with determination but her chin began to tremble.

Dr. Mendez eyed me for an answer.

"Its fine, she can come with us." I stood and put an arm around Callie while being mindful of her bruises.

Lena, Callie, Dr. Mendez, and I walked down a long corridor to a private waiting room. We all sat down and waited for the doctor to speak.

"Is my brother dead?" Callie's words broke the deafening silence. She stared straight into the wall.

"No, Jude is alive and he is going to stay that way. But, his injuries are worse than you were led to believe." Dr. Mendez cleared his throat and rolled up his sleeves. "Jude was brought in with a broken eye socket, most likely caused by a hit to the face, severe abdominal bruising, and… and signs of a vicious sexual attack." The young doctor's words bounced around in my head. I tried to make sense of them but I couldn't.

"Jude was… he was raped?" Callie asked through tears. "Someone raped my little brother?"

"I'm sorry, but it looks that way. I need to perform a rape-kit so I can gather evidence. When I brought it up to him he became violent; we had to restrain him. He keeps asking for Callie." He motioned to Callie. "I assume that's you?"

"If you take me to him then I'll try and talk him into it. He'll listen to me."

Once again, Dr. Mendez looked to me and Lena for approval.

"Of course, go ahead and take her to him. We'll go back and wait with our other children." Lena stood, pulling me with her. We walked out of the room and down the hall hand-in-hand. Just before we got to the waiting room Lena stopped walking and pulled me into a hug. She wept into my shoulder as she clung onto me for dear life.

"Everything is going to be alright, my love. It's going to be a long recovery but we will help him through this. He's going to be okay." I rubbed my wife's back and tried to soothe her sobs.

"Why did this have to happen? Those two have been through so much… and now this? I just want to keep them at home forever so no one can ever hurt them again." Lena pulled back and wiped her tears off her cheeks. "What do we tell Mariana and the boys?"

"We let Jude decide what he wants everyone to know." I took Lena's hand in mine once again and we finished the walk back to our other kids.

 **Callie's POV**

Dr. Mendez led me down another long hallway. The walk felt as if it took years. But we finally reached a dimly lit room at the end of the hall.

"He's in there. I'll be right out here if either of you need me." Dr. Mendez motioned to the door.

I walked in slowly. There was a single bed in the middle of the room. Machines were beeping all around me accompanied by Jude's soft breathing. Bloody bandages covered the countertops.

"Bravo?" I called out. The blankets shuffled a little and I saw Jude's wet eyes staring back at me. I ran to his side and pulled him into my arms. "Oh Jude I'm so sorry." I cried. "I promise that I will find whoever did this to you and wring their neck."

"Callie… why did this happen? Why did this have to happen to me?" Jude sobbed into my shoulder. He tried to grab onto me but the restraints prevented him from doing so. He whimpered when his movements were hindered. "Will you take these off of me? I feel so powerless in them."

Jude raised his hands up to me and revealed the soft cuffs that bound his wrists. I nodded and unhooked the clasps.

"Now, when the doctors come back in you can't try and hurt them. They are only trying to help you." I enclosed his hands in mine and laughed at how much larger his were than mine. "When did you grow up? I used to hold your hands all the time when we were little. When did you get bigger than me?" Tears sprang to my eyes when I remembered the little boy who used to cling to my side.

Jude smiled weakly but it soon disappeared. "They want me to do a rape-kit. I know that it will help them collect evidence but I don't think I can be violated twice in one night." A tear fell from his eye and he quickly wiped it away.

"This will be different. You will be in complete control. If you say stop, they'll stop. No one will make you do anything you don't want to do. And I'm sure with all of the pain medication you're on you won't feel a thing. We need to catch this asshole, Bravo. The evidence will help us do so." I brushed his messy hair away from his face. The deep gash on his eyebrow and bruises that had already formed made me want to throw up. "Do you think you can do that?"

He sighed deeply. "I guess so. But I want you and moms to stay in the waiting room. I don't think I could do it with any of you in here." His cheeks flushed deep red.

"Okay, that's perfectly fine. I'm going to go get the doctor and tell him your decision, okay?" I waited until he nodded to continue. "If you need me just tell a doctor or nurse and I'll be here before you know it." I kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek. "I love you buddy."

"Love you too, Cal."

I hugged him one last time before I left and then went to go find Dr. Mendez.

I found him at the nurse's station reviewing a patient's chart.

"Is that my brother's?" I asked when I approached the desk.

"Uh, yeah." He closed it and set it down. "How's he doing?"

"As best as can be expected. And he agreed to do the rape-kit. I told him that you would stop if you told you to. Make sure you go easy on him. And I took the restraints off of him. He isn't dangerous, just scared." I didn't wait for the doctor's response but heard him telling a nurse to prepare a kit as I walked down to the waiting room.

 **Connor's POV**

I paced back and forth in the ER waiting room. Jude was unconscious when my dad and I found him and he didn't wake up until the doctors put some fluids in him. They made us leave the room. And later I heard Jude scream and then someone told a nurse to put restraints on him.

"Connor, you've been walking around this room for nearly two hours. Let's go home and get some rest. I'm sure his family is here by now. We can come back tomorrow if you want." My dad had been telling me that we need to go nearly every fifteen minutes. But I refused every time.

"No. I'm staying. WE are staying until we know that Jude is okay." I said directly. "I'm going to go check the other waiting rooms for Callie and her family."

I started to leave but ran directly into a blonde woman.

"Sorry buddy, I didn't see you there." She said. Her voice was tired but her eyes were kind. She peered around me and looked at my dad. I waited for his cheesy pick up line, but she spoke first. "Agent DiNozzo? We met a few weeks ago when I brought Callie in for her interview at NCIS."

She knew my dad?

"Stef, right?" My dad got up and walked over to us.

She nodded and the small smile left her face. "Thank you for bringing him in. And you must be Connor." She said to me. "Thank you so much for calling Callie. We were getting so worried. I was actually on my way down here to see if you guys were still here."

"Is Jude okay? He was in bad shape when we found him." My heart was beating super-fast. I'd only known Jude for a short period of time but I felt like we were on the path to becoming really good friends. After all, he was the only kid my age that I knew.

"Uh, well Jude is going to be fine, but it is going to take him some time to heal from this." Stef said sweetly.

"Can I see him? I understand if I can't but I just wanted to make sure that he was okay." I looked down at the ground waiting for my dad or Stef to shoot me down, but it didn't happen.

"If your dad doesn't care, I could take you to see him. I'm sure he'd like to see you." Stef smiled down at me.

I looked up at my dad and pleaded. "Please dad? It won't take long and then I promise we can go."

"Ahhh, sure why not? Just come down here when you're ready to go. And tell Jude I say to get better soon."

I thanked him quickly and followed Stef to Jude's room. We stopped just outside the door.

"I'm just going to warn you that he probably won't be in a very good mood. It's nothing against you, he's just had a rough night… as you know." Stef smiled at me again and patted me on the shoulder.

I nodded and opened the door slowly. Jude was laying in the inclined bed with his eyes shut. When the door shut his eyes popped open and he whipped his head to the side to see who had come in.

"Connor? Is that you?" He squinted his eyes as he strained to see me.

"Uh yeah. I hope it was okay that I came in. Your mom said I could see you before I left. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay…" I took a few steps closer. That's when I could really see the damage. The entire right side of his face was turning black and blue. Bruises were starting to form on his arms and there was another bruise in the shape of a hand over his mouth; almost like someone pressed their hand tightly over his mouth to keep him quiet.

"I'll be fine in a couple of weeks. Thanks for checking in." He smiled a little. "You can come in Connor. You don't have to stand by the door."

I laughed nervously and walked over to his bedside. "Oh! I have something for you!" I unzipped my book bag and tore out the drawing of him from my sketch pad. I handed it to him and he smiled wider. "I really like to draw people."

"Connor, this is amazing! You should go to art school or something!" Jude examined the picture closely.

I blushed and smiled at the compliment. "Thanks Jude. I wasn't sure if I was going to give it to you or not… you know since we just met and all. I thought you might have found it kind of weird. But I figured you could use a pick-me-up while you're here."

"I don't think it's weird at all. Thank you, really. I totally love it." He set the picture down on his lap. "And, uh, thanks for bringing me in here tonight. I don't think I would have been able to get myself here."

"Dude, we weren't just going to let you freeze out there!" I joked. He laughed which caused me to laugh too.

"I guess this means that I won't be able to go to the batting cages with you on Saturday." His smile faded.

"We could still hang out! I mean if you want to… I could bring some video games over and we could go to the cages another day." I offered. I hoped that he would agree. I was really looking forward to hanging out with Jude and hoped that he would still want to hang with me.

"Yeah, that sounds great! I mean, I'd have to ask my moms but I'm sure they would be okay with it."

"Sweet! Here, put your number in my phone. I'll text you so you have mine and then you can just text me when you ask your moms." I handed him my phone and he quickly put in his number. "Thanks! Well, I should probably go. My dad has to work in the morning and I'm sure you need rest. Let me know if you need anything. I'll make my dad drive me over here." I joked.

"Thanks Connor." He smiled and closed his eyes. I think the pain medication was starting to take a toll on him.

I walked down the hall to where my dad was and sent Jude a text.

 _Hey it's Connor! Prepare to get destroyed in COD on Saturday!_

I smiled thinking about hanging out with him. I'd been in DC for nearly two months and I didn't have any friends. It was nice to know that I wouldn't be lonely forever.


	16. Part of Our Family

**Jude's POV**

I woke up the next morning in so much pain that I almost threw up. I looked around the room confused as to where I was. Lena was in a chair next to my bed and Callie was in the other bed in the room. Machines were beeping behind me. It hit me then; I was in a hospital. I was raped last night.

I groaned as the pain in my abdomen and lower back increased.

"Jude, you're awake!" Callie jumped out of the bed and ran to my side. "What's wrong? Tell me what hurts."

"Everything hurts…" A tear slipped down my cheek but I didn't bother to wipe it away.

"I'll go get a doctor and see if they will raise your pain meds." Callie squeezed my hand and darted out of the room.

The noise woke Lena.

"Hey buddy." She stood and kissed my cheek. "Mom is in the cafeteria with your siblings and Mike."

"Mike is here?" I was puzzled. Brandon wasn't hurt so why would he be here?

"Yeah, he has to take your statement. He was going to do it last night but you were sleeping and the doctors wouldn't let him in. Do you think you're ready to tell him what happened?"

"I guess so. I just want to get this over with."

Lena nodded and crossed to the other side of the room to call either Stef or Mike.

"Good morning Jude! I hear that you are in quite a bit of pain." Dr. Mendez read my chart as he walked in with Callie on his heels. "I'll adjust your medication so we can make you more comfortable. How does that sound?"

"That'd be great."

Five minutes later Stef, Mike, the twins, and Brandon all piled into my room. They all said good morning and asked how I was feeling.

"Well, we should get started on your statement so you can get out of here." Mike sat down in a chair next to my bed. All of my siblings, including Callie, left the room but my moms stayed back.

I glanced at them and then eyed Mike trying to get him to make them leave. He must have understood because he walked over and whispered something to them. Stef protested a little but he made them leave.

"Alright Jude. I know that this is going to be hard to talk about, but any detail you can give us will help us immensely. Just start at the beginning." He pulled out a notepad and wrote a few things down.

I took a deep breath and began. "I was on my way home from a movie I had to watch for my Intro to Film class. I stopped to text Stef when this kid from my class called me a fag."

"Why would he call you that?" Mike interrupted.

"Because I am." My cheeks flushed.

"Jude, you aren't a 'fag'. You're gay. There was no reason for him to call you that. He was just being a dick." Mike patted my hand and encouraged me to continue.

I laughed at his remark. It gave me some courage to tell the rest. "I told him to leave me alone but he pulled me into an alley. He hit me and I fought back but he threw me to the ground. He pulled my shorts down and then… it was happening. When he was done he kicked me in the stomach, threatened to kill me if I told anyone, and left." I shook my head as I recalled the attack. "I should have fought harder! I could have killed him if I wanted to. That kind of situation is _exactly_ what New Intelligence trained us for! Mike, I'm a trained spy and I couldn't fend off some dumb-ass college kid."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about this Jude. You were put in a dangerous situation. I know that you were in dangerous situations at NI but they were never directed at you, right?" When I nodded he continued. "This was a personal attack. And a very personal one. Sexual assaults are horrible, horrible things. You never know how you will react to it. _You survived_. It doesn't matter if you couldn't fight back. All that matters is if you made it out of there alive and you did." Mike wrote some more things in his notebook and then continued. "You said that your attacker was in one of your classes? Do you know his name?"

"Yeah, his name is James Link. He's on the wrestling team." I relaxed into the bed as I felt the medicine start to work. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, that's all buddy. You get some rest. I'll let your moms know that they can come back in."

I smiled as he left and closed my eyes. I laid there and waited for the blanket of sleep to claim my consciousness.

 **Callie's POV**

Soon after Mike was done with Jude's statement Dr. Mendez told us we could take him home. He was sleeping when it was time to leave so Brandon carried him to the car. He slept the whole way home.

I sat down at the kitchen table and tried to rub away the headache that was building behind my forehead.

"Jude is resting. You all need to go get your things for school. Mama said the car is leaving in five minutes. You've already missed two periods. You can't miss anymore." Stef sent everyone else upstairs as she came down. She took a seat next to me. "Why don't you go lay down, love? You need to get some rest too."

"No, Ziva is going to be here any minute now. I need to get my things for work. I'm going to be home late tonight." I stood up to go get my stuff but Stef stopped me.

"You don't have to go into work today. I'm sure they would understand if you stayed home."

"I can't do that. I just started." My phone vibrated. "Ziva is here. I have to go. I'll see you tonight." I took off up the stairs and grabbed my bag. I stopped in to check on Jude before I left. I kissed his forehead and pulled the blankets up. "I love you buddy. I'll talk to you tonight."

I ran down the stairs and didn't even bother to say goodbye to anyone else.

"Sorry I made you wait." I said as I jumped in Ziva's car. "Gibbs was really okay with you coming to get me?"

"Don't worry about it and yes he's okay with it." She put the car in drive and sped down the street. "How is Jude?"

"I guess as best as can be expected. He's exhausted and in quite a bit of pain. But he'll recover. It's just going to be a long process." I sighed and rested my head against the window.

"I'm sure everything is going to work out." Ziva reached across and took my hand in hers.

I smiled inwardly. Ziva had basically been my best friend for the last six months. Any time I felt overwhelmed or upset about something she was always there. I knew that I could go to Stef and Lena but it was nice to go to someone outside of the family.

"Can I ask you something?" I took a deep breath for encouragement.

"Of course. You know that you can always talk to me about anything." Her grasp on my hand tightened a little.

"Stef and Lena want me to go to therapy for stuff that happened at New Intelligence. Do you think it's a good idea? We were always taught that opening up was a sign of weakness."

Ziva smiled over at me. "First of all, talking about what is bothering does not make you weak. Callie, you are one of the strongest people I know; mentally and physically. Second of all, Stef and Lena are very smart ladies. I think if they believe therapy will help you then you should give it a shot. You know, every time I have to shoot someone I am required to talk to a psychiatrist. I never want to do it because, like you said, I think it will make me seem weak. But, I have never walked out of one of those sessions feeling _worse_. It feels good to talk to someone about what you are feeling."

"I figured that's what you would say. I'm just scared. What if the therapist thinks I'm crazy?"

"They won't, I promise. Just give it a shot. I'm sure if you don't like it Stef and Lena will help you find a new therapist or will let you stop. It can't hurt, can it?"

"I guess not." I leaned my head against the window again. Ziva was right. It couldn't make me any worse off.

Ten minutes later we were walking to our desks.

"Callie!" I heard someone call from the squad room.

"Tony made you come with him _again?_ " I asked Connor who was sitting at his dad's desk.

"Yeah, it totally sucks. We were supposed to hear about my placement test to this school I'm trying to get into but I guess the vice-principal had a family emergency or something." He look obviously annoyed with his situation but shook it off. "How's Jude?"

"He's doing a lot better. Thanks for being such a good friend to him. He can really use all the support he can get right now. And he really loves the drawing you gave him. It's so good!" I patted him on the back and he blushed ferociously.

"Thanks." He said sheepishly. "So my dad said that the guy you tackled the other day was hopped up on PCP. He said you were good, but I didn't think you were that good!"

"It was just an instinct I guess!" I sat down at my desk and got started on the last of my paperwork. "Connor, if I have to fill out one more form I'm going to go crazy!"

"Well, why don't you give me what you have done and I'll run it down to Human Resources. At least you will have more room on your desk to work." Connor walked over to me and I handed him a huge stack of papers.

"Thanks Connor!"

He smiled and disappeared behind the cubical walls.

"Gibbs!" I said as I saw him walking my way. "I only have a couple more forms to fill out and then I can start training!" I smiled proudly. He stopped in front of my desk with two cups of coffee in his hands. I reached for one but he recoiled.

"Are you healed from being slammed into that wall?" He lifted one eyebrow suspiciously.

"I mean I still have bruises but they don't even hurt that bad." I lied. Honestly, my back was in constant pain.

"Well until Ducky gives you the all clear you aren't physically training anyone. You can instruct but you aren't engaging in combat. Understood?" He dangled the coffee in front of me enticingly.

"Fine! But I can't just sit at this desk all day! I have to do something!" I snatched the cup out of his hand and took a delicious sip.

"Just finish the last of the forms and then we'll figure something out for you to do." Gibbs smiled at me and went to his desk.

The next few hours dragged by. The team was flying around the squad room trying to tie up loose ends on the case they had caught a few days earlier. Connor returned and begged Tony to take him home but failed to do so. Abby came up with exciting news on the case and Ducky came up with Jimmy and told the team about the first person he'd examined who had been on PCP. I thought it was interesting but everyone else seemed bored.

"Done!" I exclaimed when I signed the very last form. I held it up proudly and Connor whisked it away to take down to HR for me. "Okay Gibbs, you have to hold up your end of the deal!"

He laughed and surveyed the people who stood before him. "Alright, everyone down to the combat room."

"Everyone? Like…" Abby smiled and silently pleaded with Gibbs as she pointed to Ducky, Jimmy, and herself.

"Yes, everyone! Let's go!" We all hurried to the elevator and rode down to the combat room.

There were people in there but Gibbs made them all leave. They scurried out quickly. I think they were afraid of Gibbs.

"What's going on Gibbs? You said that I can't train anyone until Ducky gives me the all-clear." I probed. I looked to Ducky with hope in my eyes.

"You, my dear, are most definitely _not_ cleared for active training. You need to rest until next week." Ducky said apologetically.

I groaned in response.

"Callie, you aren't training anyone today. Instead you are going to talk to us. You are part of our family now. Talk to us about your parents, New Intelligence, your brother, or whatever you want to talk about. In order for us to learn from you better, we need to _know_ you." Gibbs pulled me to the front of the group and instructed everyone to sit down on the edge of the boxing ring.

"Gibbs, my life is so complicated. It would take me hours and hours to even begin to cover what my life has been like." I shook my head as I tried to deny his request.

"I don't care. We don't have any pressing issues right now. You're a part of _my_ team now." He took a seat next to Abby who laid her head on his shoulder.

I took a deep breath and decided to just do it. I thought back to what Ziva had said in the car; that it feels good to talk to people.

"Okay, well after my parents were killed we were put into foster care but they couldn't take care of us so they just dropped us off at the local police station. Actually, the officer who talked to us when we got there was Stef. She went to go call our social worker and that's when the 'recruiters' came for us. They were dressed in civilian clothes and they just walked up, picked us up and ran out of the building. They tossed us in the back of a black van and drove away. I heard bullets hit the van. They gave us juice boxes and made us drink them. I think they had sedatives in them because we fell asleep. When we woke up we were in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. I don't even know if we were in the United States. There were hundreds of other kids. They were all around our age. I found out later that I was the oldest one that was recruited."

"How long were you there?" McGee asked in the short pause that I took. "At the warehouse I mean."

"About two years. We trained every day. And every morning there were less and less of us. They got rid of the weak ones." My voice started to change. The emotion was draining slowly. That's what always happened when I talked about NI.

"What do you mean 'got rid of the weak ones'? They _killed_ kids?" Abby's voice was laced with horror.

"No, they didn't kill anyone. At least I don't think they did. They told us that they were put with loving families." I scratched my brow as I tried to get all of the details in order. "Are you sure you want to hear all of this?"

"Of course we want to hear this. Like Gibbs said, you are a part of this family. We are going to support you in any way that we can." Ziva looked at the team members on either side of her who all nodded in agreement.

I smiled and continued. "After we were 'acclimated' they drugged us again and relocated us to the New Intelligence headquarters. We continued our training there. Reductions in the team were still happening, but not as often. It was still noticeable though. Training and schooling went on normally every day for six years. We learned everything from normal social behavior, for when we were out in the normal world, to how to leave a crime scene without leaving any evidence. We trained in hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and physical fitness." I grabbed a stool from against the wall and sat down. "You know, it's weird… we were forced to be there but they made us feel like we needed them. Like we couldn't survive without NI."

"That is called Stockholm's syndrome. Your captors made you bond with them. It's a very common reaction for kidnap victims." Ducky explained. A little wave of relief washed over me. I think I finally realized that it wasn't my fault.

"Anyway, one day while we were training Commander Doran called me to her office." The rest of the story came out of me like I was a robot. I could almost see it being played out right before my eyes.

 _"Callie, thank you for coming in. I know you don't like to be pulled away from your training so I will make this quick." Commander Doran sat down and smiled at me. "You know that I am very proud of you, right? You and Jude are excelling rapidly. Actually, you're both the best recruits that we have."_

 _"Really? I didn't know that you were ranking us. But, thank you for saying that. It really means a lot." Satisfaction washed over me._

 _"We've been evaluating and ranking all of you from the moment you were brought here eight years ago. Callie, I have a proposition for you. You know that we will be selecting our operatives soon, correct?"_

 _"Yes, the trainers continuously remind us that we need to prepare for the exams." My palms became sweaty. I wanted one of those positions so bad._

 _"Well, I have something different in mind. I want you and Jude as my operatives. But, you have to successfully complete a mission first. That will be your exam. Do you think you would want to do that?" She shuffled some papers on her desk as she waited for my answer._

 _"Absolutely! And I am positive that Jude will want to do it too. What is the mission?"_

 _"You'll find out when you reach your destination. Go brief Jude and pack a bag. You'll want to pack warm clothes. And don't worry about weapons. You will be given special issues. You leave in two hours." She signed some papers and sent me on my way._

 _I ran down the corridor to the barracks and searched for Jude._

 _"Jude! Where the hell are you?" I yelled._

 _"Callie? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He popped his head around the corner. Concern was all over his face._

 _I dragged him to a secluded corner. "Doran wants us to be the two operatives! She said if we successfully complete a mission then we will be promoted!" I pulled him into a tight hug._

 _"You better not be joking with me!" He smiled widely._

 _"We leave in two hours. Go pack a bag for cold weather and meet me by the front entrance." I sent him on his way and tried to contain my excitement._

 _I ran to my wardrobe and shoved some warm clothes into my large duffel bag._

 _"What are you doing?" A voice said from behind me._

 _I whipped around and came face to face with Evan. He was always on my back about something._

 _"Commander Doran needs me and Jude to go do something for her. We're going to be gone for a couple days." I turned back around and finished packing. Evan followed me as I went to the bathroom to get my toiletries. "Dude! Do you mind?" I turned around again and shoved him away from me._

 _"What the hell?" He came at me but I was bigger and stronger. Given I was two years older but still. He tried to take me down but I easily subdued him._

 _"Back the hell up unless you want to get your ass beat!" I screamed at him. The trainers were at my side in a second. They hauled Evan off, most likely for a reprimand. Even though I wasn't officially in a command positions I was still in charge of the younger recruits. They all knew to respect me. Well except Evan._

 _Two hours later Jude and I were at the main entrance waiting for our transport to arrive._

 _"Here are your weapons." Henry, one of the guards handed us each a duffel bag and walked away._

 _We both excitedly opened them. It was kind of like opening a gift on Christmas morning. We opened the bags and revealed long range rifles._

 _"We're sniping someone or something, Callie." Jude recoiled his hands from the bag immediately._

 _"It will be fine. What else do you have? I have two hand guns and two knives along with an assload of ammo." I rifled through the bag._

 _"Yeah I have the same." We zipped up the bags and stood when we saw Doran coming down the hall._

 _"Your transport is here. He will drive you to a private airport and then fly you to your destination. Make contact when you arrive. He will give you instructions when you land."_

 _We saluted the Commander and then ran out to the car._

 _Nearly twelve hours later we finally arrived to the place where we would be staying. It was a small house in the woods. Luckily it had all the basic necessities: water, heat, and electricity. We each grabbed separate rooms and unpacked. I called the Commander and told her we'd arrived. She said that she sent me an email describing our mission._

 _"Jude! Come in here. Doran sent me an email. Come read it with me." I called to my brother._

 _Jude bounded into the room and plopped down on the bed next to me. I opened the email and we read to ourselves._

 _"Callie…" Jude's voice became shaky. "Does that say what I think it says?"_

 _I locked my phone and set it down on the nightstand. "Go get some rest. We have to be up early in the morning so we can get there on time." I sent Jude out of the room and locked the door behind him._

 _"Doran, why the hell did you give us this mission?" I said to myself._

 _I laid in my bed that night coming up with a plan for the next day. I fell asleep calculating how long it would take us to trek to the location._

"What was the mission?" Tony asked. His question pulled me out of the trance I was in. I looked at the team. They were all leaning forward curiously. Well, except Gibbs. He was sitting back against the ropes with a stern look on his face.

"We had to assassinate the president and vice-president of the country we were in. We never did find out where we were. We also had to take out four civilians each. It was almost like it was a game to her. Like she dropped us in a video game and we were just characters. The mission was completely unfounded and unnecessary. Anyway, we journeyed to the city in the morning and perched ourselves on top of a tall building. The city was having its annual Winter Parade. It was in celebration of the president. Her term was ending and they wanted to honor her. Our targets were in an open car. When they were in position… we fired. We didn't even think twice about it. We just killed them. Everyone started screaming and running for cover. We picked four random people and killed them. When we were done we policed our brass and got the hell out of there. We ran all the way to the cabin. The next morning a helicopter landed in a clear spot about twenty meters from the house and took us to the airport. We got on the plane and flew back to NI."

 _"It is my pleasure to be standing in front of all of you fine people today." Commander Doran stood on a stage in the training room. We were all sitting in chairs that had been set up. It was the promotion ceremony. "You all have successfully completed the eight year training program. Give yourselves a round of applause!"_

 _The room nearly exploded with clapping and hollering. After everyone settled down the Commander continued._

 _"You all have been promoted from recruit to agent. You should be very proud of yourselves. Now, I would like to honor the twenty-six of you who have exceled greatly in your time at New Intelligence."_

 _Commander Doran started rattling off names. She started with Carson who would from then on be known as Zulu. I spaced out for a while. I waited to see if my and Jude's names would be called for Alpha and Bravo. She wouldn't tell us if we passed the mission or not. She just said that we would find out at the promotion ceremony._

 _I was brought back to reality by Jude nudging me._

 _"Now, I know you are all dying to know if you have made it to be my operatives or not. You were all evaluated on different areas of performance. I am proud to announce your operatives and new bosses: Second in command and my #2 operative is… Jude!" Once again the room erupted. Jude stood tall and walked up to the stage. He saluted the Commander and waited for the next name to be called. "First in command, my #1 operative, and my right-hand… Callie!"_

 _People slapped me on the back in congratulations as I made my way to the stage. I saluted the Commander and Jude saluted me._

 _"Agents of New Intelligence… please stand and salute Alpha and Bravo!"_

 _I looked out to the sea of kids in front of me. Lights shined in our eyes and made it difficult for me to recognize any faces._

 _They all stood at attention and raised their hands to their foreheads. Jude saluted them and then everyone, including Jude, turned their attention to me. They held their stance as I brought my hand up. I looked out and tried to comprehend what was happening. I brought my hand down quickly, saluting my new army._

 _Commander Doran came up behind me and whispered in my ear. "Keep up the good work and you'll have my position before you turn sixteen." She patted me on the back and quickly exited to her office._

 _Everyone was congratulating one another and coming up to me and Jude._

 _We looked at each other and knew at that moment that we would never be the same. We had only gotten to where we were by murdering innocent people._

 _It was that moment that I decided to bring down New Intelligence._


	17. Dangerous

**Callie's POV**

"What is this about? Is it about our adoption?" Jude asked from next to me. Stef and Lena had called us into the living room the next morning. They wanted to talk to us the night before but I got home too late.

"No, it isn't about your adoption. It's about your attack, Jude." Stef said. She and Lena were sitting in the chairs across from us. "The DC Special Victims Unit has taken over your case. They went to James' dorm to arrest him, but he was gone."

"So what? They just have to wait until he comes back and then they'll get him." I said.

"No, I don't mean that he was gone for the day. James has dual-citizenship in France. His parents flew him there for an 'internship'. And France is not extraditable so they can't force him to come back here. But if he comes back to the United States or any extraditable country in the next five years he will be arrested." Stef explained. Her eyes were full of sorrow.

"Why only five years?" Jude was almost crying now. I grabbed his hand to support him.

"Five years is the statute of limitations on sexual assaults." Lena piped up.

"This is complete bull! He _raped_ me! He gets a five year vacation in France and then he gets to pretend like it never happened?" Jude jumped up from the couch and ran upstairs.

"I'll talk to him in a little bit. He'll cool down." I shook my head in frustration. "This is so unfair."

"We know, love. They will be watching for him at the boarders. If he as much as steps one foot out of France he will be arrested. He's a high priority suspect." Stef sat down next to me and rubbed my bag. "Mama and I have been doing some research and we think we found a really good therapist for you to talk to. She specializes in sexual assaults and works with many military families. She has an opening next Wednesday. You could go on your lunch hour."

"No, I can't. I need to focus on Jude right now. He needs a therapist more than I do. Send him to her." I sighed and leaned back into the couch. "And I haven't been part of a military family in ten years."

"We've already found a different therapist for Jude. He's going on Monday. Let us help him. You have been like a mother to him for long enough. It's our turn now." Lena sat down on my other side and took my hand in hers.

"I'm sorry. I just have too much going on with work and… and other stuff. So maybe when things aren't so crazy we can come back to it."

"You said you would go Callie. I think-"

"And you said you wouldn't make me go if I didn't want to! I'm not saying I won't ever go; I'm just saying not now!" I cut Stef off. "My driving test is in an hour. I need to go get ready."

"Callie!" Stef called after me but I ignored her.

"Just let her go, Stef." I heard Lena say just before I went out of ear-shot.

I plopped down on my bed and started reviewing for my driver's test. I'd been taking classes for several months and I was finally going to get my license.

"Hey! So I was thinking that after you pass your test we could go to the mall!" Mariana chirped from her own bed.

"Do you really think Stef and Lena will let me drive as soon as I get it? Are they really that trusting?" I glanced up at my sister who nodded quickly.

"They have to let you! They let Brandon drive over an hour to go see a concert with some of his friends when he got his license. And we only want to go to the mall. That's only like fifteen minutes away. It's sexist if they don't let us go! And our moms are feminists!"

I smirked. "Okay, if they let us go then it's fine with me. But YOU have to ask!"

"Yay! You're the best!" Mariana scurried out of the room and down the stairs, assumingly to ask Stef and Lena if we could go.

After about thirty minutes of studying I decided that it was probably time to go. I walked downstairs and Stef, Lena, and Mariana were all waiting for me.

"Ready to go, love?" Lena asked?

I nodded and we got into the Toyota and the Mini Cooper. I rode with Lena and Mariana rode with Stef.

"Okay, when do you need to use your turning signal? All the time, when you feel like it, or just when people can see you?" Lena was quizzing me on questions that my proctor might ask me.

"Come on, that's way too easy! Obviously you use it all the time." I smiled over at Lena who stuck her tongue out at me.

"Okay fine. When you are parked uphill with a curb, which way do you turn your wheels?"

"Away from the curb so my wheels will hit the curb if my emergency brake fails!" I shouted out.

"Correct! You are going to do just fine on this test. And then you will be able to run errands for me and mom!"

"Oh fun!" I joked. Lena quizzed me the rest of the way to the DMV and I managed to get all of the questions right. I don't know why I was so nervous for this test. I always did great on my tests at NI. Actually, I rarely got less than a 100%.

 _Thirty minutes later_ …

The four of us sat in the waiting area of the DMV as I waited impatiently for my number to be called. I had just taken the written test, which was actually on a computer, and it was graded automatically. Thankfully, I passed.

"42!" A woman called from behind the desk. I stood up and handed the lady my number. "Come with me. We'll be gone for about ten minutes. If you pass this test then you will get your license when we get back."

I nodded and got in the front seat of the Toyota.

 **Mariana's POV**

"Moms, you still haven't given me an answer. Can Callie and I _please_ go to the mall?" I asked as we waited for Callie to return.

"Mariana, we just don't know if it is a good idea for Callie to drive without one of us for a while." My mom said. "Maybe the four of us can go together."

"You let Brandon drive to that concert that was an hour and a half away the second he got his license! This is so unfair! And I really just want to spend some time alone with Callie. We never get to have sister-time." I sulked in my chair.

"Stef, honey, she's right. We did let Brandon go. And it's super close." Mama said. My spirits perked up when she took my side.

"Ugh, fine! But I want you to text us as soon as you get there and as soon as you leave!" Stef caved.

"Yay! Thank you so much moms!" I jumped out of my seat and hugged both of them.

Callie walked in seconds later with a proud smile on her face! "I passed!" She ran across the room and threw herself into moms' arms.

"We are so proud of you honey!" Lena said as she peppered Callie's face with kisses.

"Come over here and we'll take your picture." The grumpy DMV worker ushered Callie over to a blue screen and snapped a quick picture. She tossed the card across the desk and walked into a back room.

"Wow, what a peach!" Callie said when she rejoined us. "Oh my God I look crazy!" She examined her picture closely.

"Let me see!" I snatched it out of her hands. "You look like you're in the middle of saying something!"

"She said she was going to take it on three and then goes 'One, two, _snap!,_ three.' I didn't even get a chance to smile!"

"Callie, you look just fine." Stef kissed her cheek. "Okay, you ladies may go to the mall. But don't be out super late! We will be having family dinner tonight!"

Moms kissed us goodbye and then we ran out to the Mini Cooper together.

Twenty minutes later we were walking around the mall. "Oooh! Look at that dress!" I pointed to a store window. "Callie, you would look so cute in that!" I pulled my sister into the store and made her try it on.

I walked around the store and pulled stuff off the rack and kept tossing it over the dressing room door.

"Mariana! I don't want to try on the entire store!" Callie called out exasperatedly.

"You need grown-up clothes for work!" I spotted a cute blazer in a closed off corner. "I just found the perfect thing! I'll be right back!"

 **Callie's POV**

I sighed loudly when Mariana took off to grab something else for me. She'd already given me three dresses, countless pairs of pants, and I think an entire rack of shirts. I kept changing but paused when I heard Mariana telling someone to go away.

I listened closely to try and understand what was happening.

"Hey, just give us a smile mami!" I heard some guy say and then some more laughed.

"I said back off!" Mariana yelled. I grabbed my shirt to put on quickly so I could go help her if necessary. "Stop it! Get off of me!"

I shoved the door open and scanned the store for my sister. I started running when I saw three guys crowded around her.

"Hey! Back the hell up right now!" I grabbed one by the collar of his shirt and threw him off of her.

The other two turned around and lunged at me. Luckily I was much stronger and much faster. I easily avoided there grasps which caused them to fall to the ground.

"Mariana go get help!" The store was huge and the section we were in was nearly empty. The guys had picked themselves up off the floor and formed a triangle around me. "Trust me, you guys do _not_ want to get into it with me!" I slowly turned in a circle so I could keep an eye on each of them.

"What are you going to do sweetheart? Bitch-slap us?" The one who I threw off Mariana snickered.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. I silently begged them not to do anything stupid. It unfortunately didn't work. One of them reached out for me but I seized his hand and twisted his wrist violently. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The other two looked at each other shocked. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my NCIS badge. I technically didn't have any legal authority over them but I knew the badge would get their attention.

"I work for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. If you try and attack me you can be arrested for harming government property." I held my badge out in front of me and laughed as their eyes grew wide.

They tried to run but two security guards stopped them. "Are these the people who were harassing you, Miss?" One of them asked Mariana.

"Yeah, but just the guys! She is my sister and came to help me." Mariana's voice was panicked.

"Alright, you three, hands behind your backs."

I pointed to the one on the ground. "His wrist is broken so you'll want to be careful with him."

"How do you know that it's broken?" The biggest guard asked me.

"Uhh, because I broke it." I laughed a little but stopped quickly when I realized that the guards were not amused. "He lunged at me and I stopped him." I pulled out my badge again and explain why I did what I did.

"Okay, well since you are both minors we will need you to come to the security office and call your parents."

We looked at each other nervously. Neither of us wanted to tell Stef or Lena what happened. But, we obliged and followed the men to their office. We sat in a small room while we waited for one of them to bring us a phone. We weren't allowed to use our own in case we tried to call someone else and get out of it.

"Okay, Miss Adams-Foster you can call you parents. The number is already punched in; you just need to hit call. But, Miss Jacob, we have a small problem. We had to run your name through our databases to make sure that you really work who you say you work for. And when we did, your name came up in the ACS database. I'm afraid that we are going to have to call your social worker." The head of security said.

I sighed, but I understood. I was nervous as to what that meant. Would it affect my adoption at all? Would I be sent away?

Mariana took the phone that the guard handed her and called Stef and Lena. "Uh, hey mom. Listen, don't be mad but something kind of happened at the mall."

I strained my ears to hear what Stef was saying but she wasn't talking loud enough.

"No, we're both fine but Callie sorta had to use her ninja skills to fend off some creeps. And since Callie is still in foster care they have to call her social worker." She paused again as Stef spoke. "Yeah sure." Mariana handed the phone to the security guard. "She wants to talk to you."

The guard, whose name was Jonny, took the phone. "Hello? … No, we aren't going to charge the girls with anything… No, you do not need to come and get them. We just wanted to make sure that you were made aware of the situation… The boys will be fined and most likely given some form of community service… You have a nice night as well." He hung up and turned his attention back to me and Mariana. "You are good to go ladies. Your social worker has been notified and said that she will be over tonight to speak with you and your parents."

We thanked the men and walked to the car. We drove the whole way home in complete silence. I parked the car on the street and took a deep breath before I got out.

"Your social worker is here already." Mariana pointed out.

"Well this is just wonderful!" I unbuckled my seatbelt and slowly followed Mariana into the house.

"Mariana, please go wait in your room. We will be up shortly." Lena said as soon as we walked in. Mariana obeyed and ran upstairs. "Callie, come into the kitchen please."

I hung my head and followed Lena. Stef and my social worker, Ellie, were sitting at the kitchen table. I sat across from Lena and next to Stef. "Are you alright, love?" Stef whispered in my ear.

I nodded quickly.

"Callie, I understand that there was a situation at the mall. I hear that you broke a man's wrist?"

"You what?!" Lena exclaimed.

"Yes, I broke his wrist. But they were harassing my sister and tried to come after me. I did what I had to do to protect us. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse." I defended myself as best as I could. Stef tapped my hand as if to say 'not appropriate'.

"You later flashed your NCIS badge. Why didn't you do that in the beginning? Wouldn't it have been easier to do that to begin with?" Ellie prodded.

"Yeah, it would have been. But I pulled my badge at the first change I got. And when that guy lunged at me I just reacted. I wasn't thinking. I'll pay his medical bills if he wants. I'll use my paycheck from NCIS." I offered but Ellie's face told me that wasn't what was going to happen.

"I've actually been thinking about this housing arrangement for quite a while. And today has made my decision very easy. I am afraid that Callie might be a risk to your family and your children. If something makes her recall a memory from New Intelligence, she could snap. The outcome would be horrific. I don't think it is safe to have Callie in this house. At least until I can have her assessed by a professional. Jude is okay to stay. I reviewed both of their files from New Intelligence and doesn't seem to be as high risk as Callie."

After Ellie stopped talking the room fell silent. We all sat there for a while not knowing what to say.

"Where will I go?" I asked quietly.

"Unless there is a family that I believe is well equipped to take care of you, you will be sent to a group home for high-risk girls." Ellie's words cut like a knife.

I felt like I was going to throw up. I jumped off my chair and ran up to the bathroom and locked all of the doors.

"What am I going to do? I can't go to a group home!" I whispered to myself. Suddenly, I got an idea. I pulled out my phone and dialed. "Hey! I really need your help. Can you come to my house? Great, thanks." I hung up and waited.

"Callie, love, please come out! We need to talk about our options here." Stef's voice seeped through the door.

"No! Just leave me alone Stef!" I yelled back. I sat down on the floor and curled up into a tight ball.

Ten minutes later Stef yelled up the stairs to me. "Callie, you have a visitor!"

I opened the door and rushed downstairs.

"I'm sorry, who's this?" Ellie questioned when we all regrouped in the kitchen.

"This is Special Agent Ziva David. I thought she could explain to you that I'm not dangerous. I work with her every day and she's been helping me a lot over the past six months." I motioned for Ziva to sit down at the table.

"What exactly is going on?" Ziva asked.

"My social worker thinks I'm too dangerous to live here. At least until I can be evaluated." I explained.

"Well, Callie is right. I have never thought of her as dangerous. Protective? Strong? Capable? Sure! But not dangerous. She is very much in control of her actions." Ziva patted my hand reassuringly.

"This isn't up for discussion! Callie, you need to go pack a bag right now! You will stay at the ACS facility tonight and then we will figure something out in the morning." Ellie raised her voice. She was a small woman but got scary when she was mad.

"No! I'll take her!" Ziva said. "I was trained by Mossad in Israel. I'm more than capable of 'handling' Callie. She will be safe with me."

 **What do you think the social worker is going to say? Will Callie get to stay with someone she trusts or will she have to go to a group home?**


	18. Just a question

**This is not a chapter but I hope you will continue you to read this.**

Before I continue any further with this story I just need to know something: Do any of you want me to keep writing New Intelligence? I've been getting some rather angry PMs. All of them are people who seem to be upset with me for where I have taken the story. If the majority of you who read this story don't like it, please tell me in a non-angry way. If most of you **are** upset with the story, I can end it quickly. I don't want to have _any_ of my readers be unhappy with the stories that I write. I write them for you, not for myself. Just let me know what you would like me to do.

As always, much love

SDD


	19. Taken Away

**Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Callie's POV**

"No! I'll take her!" I stared widely at Ziva. Did she really just say that she would take me? "I was trained by Mossad in Israel. I'm more than capable of handling Callie. She will be safe with me."

"Ziva, you don't have to do this…" I didn't want Ziva to think that I had called her so she would feel pressured into taking me in.

"No, I want to do it. You would be safer with me than at some ACS facility." She put a hand on my shoulder and smiled softly at me.

"I don't have a problem with this at all. I would much rather Callie be with someone that we know and trust." Stef grabbed Lena's hand who looked like she was going to throw up. "Obviously we would rather have Callie stay here with us, because she is most definitely not a danger to our family, but if you _have_ to do this… please just let her stay with Ziva."

Ellie sighed deeply. It almost seemed like she wanted me to go to an ACS facility or group home. " _Fine_." She conceded. "But I will be over in the morning so you can sign the official paperwork and so I can do a home study."

"Ziva and I have work in the morning. We won't be there." I called out before my social worker left.

"Well you're gonna have to be." She grimaced and then stormed out to her car.

"Wow, what a lovely woman." Ziva said under her breath. "So, I guess we should go?"

I nodded and went upstairs to pack a bag. I heard Stef and Lena thanking Ziva as I went out of earshot.

Once I got in my room, I started shoving clothes into my duffel bag. Luckily Mariana was nowhere to be found. I fought hard to keep tears rolling down my face. I would have lost the fight if Jude wouldn't have come in.

"Hey, I heard Ellie downstairs. What was she here for?" His voice was shaky and nervous.

I cleared my throat and turned around to face my little brother. "She thinks I'm too dangerous to live here. So until I can be evaluated by a professional, I'm going to be staying with Ziva. But I don't want you to worry. I'm sure Stef and Lena will let you hang out at NCIS on days that you don't have class. Don't be causing trouble, okay?" I placed my hands on his shoulders and pulled him into a hug.

"Alpha… I need you now more than ever. Can I just come with you, please?" I was shocked when he called me Alpha. I'd been Callie for weeks, months even. He wrapped his strong arms around me and held on for dear life. "I can't do this alone."

"You aren't alone. You have Stef, Lena, and the siblings. You are _far_ from alone. And I'm always just a phone call away. I will answer day or night." I wiped a solitary tear away from his cheek. "I need you to be strong for me Jude. Because I'm barely hanging on as it is. I know you're going through way more than you should be, but please, just be 'Bravo' one more time."

Jude pulled away from me and straightened his shoulders, making him seem bigger than he really was. "Okay. I can do this. But you have to be smart about this. Don't do anything that will make Ellie or the person who evaluates you think you are dangerous. Just fight every natural instinct that you have and you will be back here in no time."

I nodded and smiled sadly at my baby brother. "I promise. I have to go now. Ellie will have a cow if she finds out that I was here for long after she left."

Jude picked up my duffel bag and followed me while I carried my pillow and book bag downstairs.

"Okay, I'm ready to go… I guess." I sighed deeply and looked around the kitchen. It was very possible that it would be the last time that I would be in that house. I just didn't want the moment to end.

"Call us if either of you need anything. We're only a five minute drive." Stef pulled me into a tight hug. "You'll be home before you know it. And be good to Ziva!" She laughed a little as she tried to lighten the mood.

Lena hugged me next and kissed my cheek before she let me go. "Ziva, if she says she is allowed to drink coffee, she's lying. She's very good at it so don't let her trick you into it!" She wiped away a tear and gave me a look that said 'don't even try it!'

"Don't worry, I won't let her get away with it." Ziva smiled at Stef and Lena as we walked out the door but was stopped by Jude's unsuspected hug.

"Ziva, don't let anything happen to her. I won't be there to watch out for her and she does stupid things sometimes." He buried his head in her shoulder as he whispered just loud enough for me to hear him.

She nodded and then we got in her car and pulled away from the house with Stef, Lena, and Jude waving goodbye.

"Everything is going to be okay, right?" I nervously shook my knee, thinking about all the horrible outcomes that could result from my evaluation.

"Yes, everything will be fine. You have nothing to worry about!" Ziva tried to sound convincing, but she fell short; very short.

 **Jude's POV**

I paced back and forth on the porch after Ziva's car went out of sight. I nervously chewed on my fingernails. Callie was always telling me to stop. Panic started boiling under my skin. It was soon replaced with anger, fear, and hatred. My sister was just taken away. Anger, fear, and hatred were the only things I could feel.

"This isn't right." I muttered under my breath. I could feel Stef and Lena's worried eyes on my back. "It's not right!"

"Jude, love, let's go inside and talk about this. It's snowing. I'll make us some hot chocolate." Lena's words jumbled in my ears. I sensed her moving closer but I couldn't pull myself out of my thoughts. "Jude?"

"It's not right!" I screamed. I slammed my fist into the support beam for the roof of the porch area. Something clicked in me and I couldn't stop. My fists kept slamming into the wooden post. Memories from New Intelligence flashed in front of my eyes.

Suddenly I was eight years old again and back at the first New Intelligence training center.

 _"Recruits! Make your way to main combat room! You have five minutes to assemble!" The lead trainer shouted into the open room. Callie and I were sitting on my bed studying for an exam we had the next day._

 _People everywhere jumped off their beds and started to run towards the combat room. Callie grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her._

 _Once we were in the combat room we made our way to the front of the group. Everyone was circled around the boxing ring._

 _"Today is the beginning of your hand-to-hand combat training. Two of you will enter this ring and fight with your bare hands." Jolene, the lead trainer, surveyed everyone and chose her first victim. "Evan, get in the ring!"_

 _Evan let a sadistic smile creep across his face. He jumped through the ropes and started stretching._

 _Jolene's scanned over the sea of recruits. I felt eyes land near me, but hoped my name, or Callie's, wouldn't be called._

 _"Jude, get up here!" Her words stung like a fresh wound._

 _Everyone turned and looked at me. I felt Callie tense next to me as I started to walk to the ring._

 _"No! He isn't ready!" Callie shouted. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to her side. "He's only eight years old!"_

 _"Well, how is he supposed to get ready if he never fights? He's scrawny but he's scrappy. He'll be fine." Jolene's eyes were hard but they soon softened. "Jude, get up here."_

 _I broke free from Callie's grasp and clumsily climbed through the ropes._

 _"Okay, in this situation Evan is the bad guy and Jude is the good guy. There is only one rule: don't kill each other." She pushed me closer and jumped down onto the ground._

 _Evan grimaced at me and put his fists up, ready to smash them into my face. I followed in suit. I didn't know how to fight at all so I figured I should just do what he did._

 _"Fight!" Jolene yelled._

 _I turned to look at Callie for encouragement but that was a mistake. As soon as I turned my head, Evan's fist slammed into my jaw. He was nearly a year older than me and was much, much stronger._

 _"Jude!" I heard Callie's pained voice from the crowd._

 _I started punching but the hits barely fazed Evan. He just kept pounding on me. He knocked me to the ground and landed punch after punch onto my face._

 _Just before I blacked out, Evan was tackled off of me. I figured it was the trainers, but when my vision focused I saw Callie kicking the crap out of Evan._

 _"You asshole!" Callie pulled Evan to his feet only to punch him so hard that he fell on his ass._

"Jude!"

 _Wait, no. This isn't part of the memory._

"Jude, can you hear me?"

 _Whose voice is that? Callie? Jolene?_

"Jude, look at me! Look at me!"

 _Stef? No, she isn't part of this memory!_

"We need to get him inside and bandage his hands. He tore them up pretty bad."

Suddenly I was pulled back to reality. I was sitting on the porch at the house, not lying helpless on the floor of a boxing ring. Blood covered my hands and painted the wooden post that I had nearly pulverized.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" I jumped up and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'll fix it. I promise!" I jumped up and surveyed the damage.

"It's okay, love. It's nothing that a good scrubbing and some new stain won't fix. But let's go inside and get those splinters out of your hands." Stef wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me inside and upstairs to her and Lena's bathroom. "Sit down." She pointed to the closed toilet and I obeyed.

"I'll go get started on that hot chocolate." Lena kissed the top of my head and gave Stef an encouraging look.

"This is going to hurt, but I have to get that wood out of there. I'll give you some medicine later." Stef said as she laid a towel across my lap.

I snorted a little. "I can handle pain."

Stef smiled weakly and started pulling the splinters from my knuckles. She worked silently for a while and I stared off into space thinking about what it would be like if Callie couldn't come back.

"Jude, what happened out there? Something just snapped and you went off." She dabbed my hands with a wet washcloth to clear the area of excess blood.

"Callie has always protected me. Our dad would have PTSD episodes and he would start screaming and it really scared me. She would always push me behind her in case something bad happened. And now that we're older, she is still doing it. After I was attacked I saw that same look in her eyes from when we were younger. I just was trying to protect her for once. And I guess I realized I can't protect her if she isn't here. I think I had a flashback to my New Intelligence days. I didn't even realize I was hitting the beam." I winced as she cleaned my wounds with hydrogen peroxide. "I'll clean it up and fix it." My head dropped as I waited for my punishment.

Instead, Stef placed her hands on either side of my head and pulled it up so I was forced to look at her. "You aren't in trouble so please don't worry about the pole. I want you to know that you don't have to protect Callie. You are only fourteen years old. Mama and I are here for her and for you. We are going to fight for her. If by some _small_ chance Callie can't come back here, she will always be a part of this family. And that doesn't mean that we won't want you." Her eyes turned sad as she stared into mine. She sighed deeply and kissed my cheek. "Let's get some bandages on these and then we'll go down and get some cocoa."

"Thanks." I breathed. The pain started creeping into my hands. "Could I get some of that pain medicine?" I asked reluctantly.

Stef laughed. "Of course you can." She put a piece of tape on the bandages to secure them in place and then kissed each of my hands. "There you go! You're all set."

"Everything okay?" Lena asked when we entered the kitchen. We sat down and she set a cup of cocoa in front of each of us.

"Yeah, everything is fine." I took a long, warm sip and relaxed as the drink warmed me.

Stef and Lena talked aimlessly for a few minutes but when there was a break in the conversation I jumped in.

"Can I go to NCIS tomorrow? I don't have class for the rest of the week since I am still on medical recovery and I really want to see Callie every chance I get. And plus… I would get to see Connor." I blushed a little but tried to hide by pulling my mug up to my face.

"I don't think that is a problem. You have a doctor's appointment at four o'clock, but you can stay until then. Text your sister and ask what time she'll be there. Ellie is going over in the morning to do a home study so they'll be a little late. But I can bring you in around lunch time." Lena set our cups in the sink and started cleaning up.

"Okay, thanks. I think I'm going to go to bed." I gulped down the pills Stef had set in front of me and hugged them both goodnight. I felt their eyes on me as I trudged up the stairs.

"Dude, what the hell happened down there? Mariana, Brandon, and me heard you screaming and it sounded like something crashed into the house." Jesus interrogated me from his bed. I'd completely forgotten that the twins and Brandon were home. "What did you do?!" He popped up when he caught sight of my hands.

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it. I'm tired, in pain, and pissed off. If you want to know what happened go talk to moms." I threw myself on my bed and pulled my pillow over my head.

Jesus sighed out of frustration and shut the door just a little too loud when he left. Seconds later I slipping deeper and deeper into a much needed sleep.

 **Sorry not much happened in this chapter. Hopefully the next one will be more exciting.**


	20. More Than A Friend

**I am so sorry for such a long wait. I had absolutely NO ideas with how to proceed. Everything seemed wrong. If you have ANY IDEAS AT ALL, please PM me. I'll give you credit if you'd like! I hope to start writing again, but it is quite possible I could go on another hiatus. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Jude's POV**

I woke up the next morning with pain searing through both of my hands. I laid in my bed and silently recalled the events of last night. Callie had been taken from me. I had an NI flashback. I beat the crap out of one of the pillars on the porch.

"Jude! It's time to get up and get ready!" Lena's voice cut through my thoughts. "We need to leave for NCIS in less that 20 minutes."

"Okay, I'll be down soon." I called back but I didn't move. I continued to stare at my ceiling until I absolutely had to get up. Quickly I threw on some clean clothes and ran down to meet Lena at the car.

We drove in silence to the naval base. I could tell that she wanted to ask me a million questions. Her restraint was obvious but I was grateful for it.

"Okay, love. Mom will pick you up at four o'clock for your doctor's appointment. Call if you need anything." Lena leaned across the center console and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Will do. Bye, mama. I'll see you later tonight." I climbed out of the car and smiled when she blew a kiss my way.

I pulled my bag over my shoulder and winced in pain when the cuts on my hand were stretched open. Rose, the receptionist at the front desk gave me a loving smile and handed me my visitor's badge when I walked in the building. I pulled a peach from my bag and she handed me a thermos full of apple cider. It was our usual exchange whenever I visited.

I sipped on the warm drink as I rode the short ride to the main floor of NCIS. The usual buzz of the squad rooms was like music to my ears. Even though it was chaotic it was incredibly comforting. Life at New Intelligence never slowed down. It was something I had become accustomed to.

"Jude!" Connor rounded the corner with a smile spread across his entire face. "I didn't know you were coming in today! My dad STILL hasn't heard back from the school I'm supposed to be going to so I'm stuck here again."

"I'm sorry dude. I understand wanting to get back to school. But does it really get that boring here?" We walked towards the desks as we talked.

"Well it does for me. I wish I could ride along with them when they catch a case but my dad says its way too dangerous. So I basically wander around here all day bored out of my mind. Callie keeps me company but she's been super busy trying to get her paperwork done so I try not to bother her." Connor plopped down on Agent DiNozzo's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Speaking of your sister, where is she? She and Ziva were supposed to be here like four hours ago."

"Some stuff came up last night but they should be here any minute now." My cheeks reddened a little. I was embarrassed about my tantrum last night. Connor must have read my expression because he didn't question me.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was trying to think of a good conversation topic. Luckily the elevator doors opened and Callie and Ziva entered the squad room.

"Callie!" I jumped up from her desk and embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you."

"What happened to your hands?!" She pushed me back from her a little and carefully turned my hands over in her own.

"I had a flashback. I really don't want to talk about it." I hung my head in shame.

"It's okay buddy. You don't have to." Callie kissed the top of my head and then slung her arm around my shoulders and led me back to her desk.

"Callie, I'm going to go call Stef and Lena. Let Gibbs know where I am if he comes up here." Ziva said as she ran up to the conference room for privacy.

"What happened? Did everything go okay with Ellie?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, everything went really well. Ziva got approved to be my guardian until I have my evaluation. That's going to happen in a couple days. So hopefully I'll be back home by Saturday." Callie rubbed her fingers through her wavy hair. I knew she was frustrated but she was doing a good job of keeping her cool.

"Stef and Lena seem very confidant that you'll be able to come back. They believe in you."

"I know, but it isn't up to them. If this doctor thinks I'm a threat I'll go to a high-risk group home until I turn eighteen. I would barely be able to see you." She grasped my hand gently and gave it a light squeeze. "I think that would kill me." Her voice was becoming shaky.

"It's not going to happen. You just have to keep telling yourself that."

Callie smiled weakly at me. "I'm going to go talk to Ducky for a little bit. I want to know how my bruises are healing. Come down in fifteen minutes or so. I want him to take a look at your hands."

I nodded in agreement and leaned back in my chair. I so badly wanted to just fall asleep. I was on the brink when someone tapped my shoulder.

"Jude?"

 **Connor's POV**

After Callie came upstairs I walked around the building for awhile to give them some privacy. Something was up with Jude. His hands were bandaged with gauze and I could see blood starting to soak through. I wanted to ask him what happened but he didn't seem like he was in the mood.

As I walked around I couldn't think of anything or anyone but Jude. Ever since I met him I felt a connection to him. Whenever we were around each other my heart started to beat fast and my palms became sweaty. I really didn't know what it meant. Did I like him? Like... more than a friend?

All of these thoughts were running through my mind and I knew I had to talk to him about it. I saw the way he looked at me and the way he laughed just a little too hard at my jokes. He was flirting with me. And I flirted back. But did that mean I'm gay?

Luckily when I went back to the squad room Callie was gone. He was leaning back in her desk chair. He looked like he was asleep. He looked so peaceful. I felt bad waking him but I had to talk to him.

I walked up and gently tapped him on the shoulder, careful not to scare him. "Jude?"

His eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. "Sorry, was I snoring or something?" He rubbed his eyes and yawned widely.

I laughed a little. "No, you weren't snoring. I was just wondering if we could uhh... well I wanted to ask you if..." I sighed in exasperation and gathered my thoughts. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

His face was blank. He looked slightly shocked but mostly confused. "Uh, yeah sure. Where should we go?"

"We could go down to the garage. There is a little break room down there with tons of good snacks."

"Sweet!" Jude jumped up from the chair. "I'll race you!" He gave me a little shove and then took off towards the stairs.

I quickly regained my balance and was soon on his heels. But, he must have been holding back. As soon as I caught up to him he raced away like a bullet. I was fast, but Jude had super-human speed.

I made it to the break room seconds after him and he was bent over catching his breath between laughs.

"That was fun! You're really fast!" He grinned up at me.

"You're one to talk, Usain Bolt!" I smiled back and took a seat at the small table. Suddenly my heart was beating fast again and my mouth felt incredibly dry.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Jude wiped some sweat from his brow and sat down next to me.

"Well, this is going to sound really weird and I hope it doesn't freak you out. But, I just have this... well, I think I have _feelings_ for you. As in more than a friend..." My cheeks flared up bright red as soon as I spoke. I mean, I barely knew this guy and I was telling him I had feelings for him. Even though it seemed super weird, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

Jude stared back at me with his mouth hanging wide open.

"Jude?" I tapped his knee to try and get his attention. "Jude, are you in there?"

 **Sorry for such a short chapter and sorry it isn't super interesting. Like I said, I haven't had much inspiration. This was kind of just a filler chapter. I know this relationship is going SUPER fast but it will all work out in the end. Let me know what you think!**


	21. Surprise Visitor

**Jude's POV**

"I have to go." I jumped up from Callie's chair and started towards the elevator. But Connor was close on my heels.

"Jude! Wait!" Connor put a hand on my shoulder to stop me but I jumped away from his touch. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just… can't we talk about this?"

"Not right now. I… I just can't handle this right now!" My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. The elevator doors opened and I pressed down. As soon as the heavy metal doors slid shut I collapsed to my knees. "Why did he have to tell me that? Now it's out in the open and I have to deal with it. Why couldn't I just have kept on imagining?" I muttered to myself. I was near tears, but the elevator slowed so I collected myself and stood.

"Jude, my boy! Let's take a look at those hands!" Ducky's cheerful voice filled my ears once I walked into the morgue. "Here, have a seat on my stool and I'll go get some fresh bandages for you." He smiled at me and patted me lightly on the back.

"You okay, buddy? You look a little pale." Callie pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "You don't have a fever. What's up with you?"

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about it. Will you call moms and have one of them pick me up once Ducky is done? I want to go home." I hung my head, refusing to make eye contact with Callie.

"Uh, yeah I can do that. Are you sure you're okay?" She tried to put an arm around my shoulders but I moved away from her.

I sighed in frustration. "I said I don't want to talk about it. Can't you just leave it at that?" I snapped.

Callie sighed, too. But hers was out of defeat. "Fine. I'll be upstairs. Just come up when you're done." Her words were a little harsh but I knew she wasn't angry, just a little upset.

"Alright, let's have a look at those hands, shall we?" Ducky came back from his office with fresh gauze and medical tape. He began telling me a story about the first time he ever punched someone. I zoned out, only catching bits and pieces. I was too distracted by Connor's confession. No matter how much I tried to pretend like it didn't happen, his words kept ringing in my ears.

 **Callie's POV**

As I rode the elevator up to the main floor, Jude's attitude kept me worried. Obviously he had a lot on his plate but he just seemed even more distracted and upset. Once I got to my desk I pulled my phone out of my drawer and dialed Stef.

"Hi, Cal! What's up?" Stef's cheery voice put a little smile on my face. I'd only been away from them for one night and I already missed them dearly.

"Uh, Jude wanted me to call you or Lena. He asked if one of you would come pick him up. He wants to go home." I could tell that my voice was filled with worry and that Stef would pick up on my concern.

"Is he okay? Is he sick?" She matched my level of distress.

"I don't know what's wrong. He came down to autopsy so Ducky could take a look at his hands and he seemed really upset. He wouldn't talk to me and snapped at me when I questioned him further." I scratched my forehead and sighed deeply. "I have a feeling something other than his attack is bothering him. I just can't quite figure out what it is, though."

"Don't worry, my love. Mama and I will try and talk to him." There was a moment of silence. I could tell Stef wanted to know how the visit with Ellie went.

"Ziva got approved. My evaluation will be in a few days. If everything goes well, I should be back by the weekend."

"Oh, Callie, that's wonderful!" Her happiness broke through the darkness that had been surrounding me that day. "How are you? Are you okay? Can I get anything or do anything for you?" Her questions rattled off at a hundred miles an hour.

"I'm okay. Ziva is taking good care of me. I just wish I could be back home with everyone…" My voice trailed off and I tried to fight back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

"Everything will work out. I promise." Silence filled the space between us once again. "Well, I'm on patrol but I can swing by and pick him up. Will you tell him I'll be there in about five minutes?"

"Sure. Will you… Any chance you can come in for just a few minutes?" I didn't want her to have to take extra time but I was dying to see her.

"Absolutely. I'll see you soon, love. Bye-bye."

I smiled a little as I hung up the phone. As I looked up I saw Connor sitting at Tony's desk with a rather upset expression on his face.

"Hey, you alright dude?" I questioned.

Connor looked up at me, his brow furrowed. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course." I pulled my desk chair over to him and sat down. "What's up?" I silently hoped he would be able to tell me what was wrong with Jude.

He sighed deeply and began to speak, his eyes closed. "I know I haven't known Jude for very long, but the minute I met him I felt this… connection. I've known for a long time that I'm, you know, _gay_. But I've never told anyone. And this morning I just felt like I had to tell Jude that I have feelings for him. Well, I did and he just shut down. He basically ran to the elevators and wouldn't talk to me at all." He took a quick breath and continued. "I thought he liked me too. I just sensed that he did. How could I be _so_ wrong about this?" Connor wiped a tear that was forming away from his eye.

"Connor, you aren't wrong about Jude. He's just dealing with a lot right now. Give him a little while; he'll come back around to you." I patted his knee in reassurance.

"Really? Are you sure?" He looked up at me with wet, hazel eyes. So much fear covered his face.

I smiled back at him. "I'm sure. I know Jude better than any other person. He's just dealing with more than he should have too. I'm sure he was just shocked. I have to go call Ducky to send him up. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. But I think I'm going to go to the break room. I feel like it's going to be awkward and I want to avoid that." Connor didn't even give me a chance to respond. He quickly got up and made a bee-line for the stairs.

I took a deep breath, thankful that I at least had an idea of what was bothering my little brother. I walked back to my desk and called Ducky. "Hey, can you send Jude up? Stef is on her way to pick him up. She should be here any minute."

He agreed and I sat down in my chair, taking a much needed mental break. But, seconds later the elevator doors opened and revealed Stef, who all but ran to me.

As soon as she reached me, she enveloped me in a giant hug. "I've missed you so much, Callie." She whispered to me. She kissed the top of my head and then pulled me right back to her.

"I missed you too. I just want this to be over with." I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Tears threatened to spill and I tried to blink them away. I wasn't very successful.

"Hey now, everything is going to be okay." She wiped the tears from my cheek and smiled at me sadly. "That doctor who evaluates you is going to realize that all you need is to be back home with your family. This will all be forgotten about before you know it."

We stood there hugging each other as we wait for Jude to come back upstairs. I felt so vulnerable, which was something I was taught was bad, but Stef made me feel safe so I let it happen.

"Is everything okay? You've been standing like that for like five minutes." Jude's voice interrupted my thoughts. He had new bandages on his hands.

"Everything is just fine. How are you, buddy?" Stef walked over to him and tried to hug him but he stepped away.

"Can we just go please?" He hung his head and refused to look at us.

Stef and I shared a look. We stood in silence for a moment, hoping he would say something. But, our attention was distracted by the elevator opening once again. Ziva walked towards us quickly with a concerned look on her face. A woman I didn't recognize was close behind her.

"Are you Callie Jacob?" The woman directed her question to me. She was wearing an expensive, professional looking outfit. Her hair was long and curly and she had a sort of understated beauty to her.

"May I ask who is wanting to know?" I stood tall and kept my voice steady even though I was nervous beyond belief.

"My name is Dr. Jenny Rallings. I'm with social services and I'm here to evaluate you." She wrote something down on the notebook she was carrying.

"I thought her evaluation wasn't until Friday?" Stef took a step towards me and grasped my hand tightly.

"You must be Stefanie Adams-Foster, one of Callie's foster mothers." Jenny smiled stiffly. "The evaluation was scheduled for Friday but I had some opening and I determined that this took highest priority.

"You should have called. It's not very professional to just show up unannounced." Jude hissed. I looked over at him and anger plastered his face. His hands were balled up in fists.

"I'd really like to get started. I've already talked to Director Vance and he's allowed us to use the conference room upstairs." Jenny took a step to the side and put her hand out to direct me to the stairs.

Stef kissed me on the cheek and Ziva hugged me as I passed by her. I slowly walked up the stairs. As I looked down, Jude was sitting at my desk with his head in his hands. I felt like I was walking towards my doom. A pit was forming in my stomach and I felt like I was going to be sick.

We finally reached the conference room and I sat down across the table from the young woman.

She clicked a pen and wrote a few things down. "Let's get started, shall we?"


	22. We Are Complete

**Callie's POV**

"I don't want you to be nervous. Just be yourself and everything should be fine." Jenny's words jumbled in my head. I couldn't keep focused on her long enough to be able to process what she was saying. Why was this happening? I had three more days to prepare for the evaluation and that time was stripped from me. Anger boiled up in me and I used every ounce of strength I had left to suppress it. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions and I need you to answer as honest as possible, okay?"

"Of course." My voice was quiet and weak. I rubbed my palms against my pants and tried to slow my breathing. "Can I ask you a question before we start?"

Jenny looked up from her notebook and smiled at me. "Absolutely. What's up, Callie?" Her smile calmed me a little, but not enough to rid me of my anxiety.

"What is your job title?" It sounded like a dumb question as soon as the words spilled out of my mouth. "I know a lot about the foster care system and I never heard about and 'evaluator'. Are you a social worker?"

"No, I'm not a social worker. I'm a psychiatrist." She wrote a couple things down. All the while her smile never left her face.

"Okay… I was just curious." I looked down at my lap and wrung my hands together nervously.

Jenny sighed a little, gathered her things, and moved to the seat directly to my left. "Callie, I know you're nervous. I don't want you to be. This has to be scary for you, I'm not trying to downplay that. Let's just talk. I want to get to know _you_. Don't put up a brave front. I'm not going to send you away from your foster family if you tell me you want to hit something when you get mad or scared. Okay? So let's just chat for a while. Think you can do that?"

I nodded slowly. My nerves had been calmed a little but I was still afraid of what was to come.

"Good. So can you tell me what it was like for you at New Intelligence?"

I looked up at the young woman and noticed that she had closed her notebook and was facing me directly. It started to feel less like an interrogation and more like a therapy session.

"New Intelligence was… it was mostly terrifying. I never knew what the next day was going to hold. I never knew if I was going to be sent out on a mission or if I was going to be in class all day." I paused waiting for her to comment but she remained silent. "The trainers were horrible too. They screamed at us if we did one thing wrong. But it taught us to do everything correctly the first time."

"That must have been incredibly difficult for you. How did you feel on a day-to-day basis?"

"I felt like a pawn in a game of chess. But like a really terrifying and screwed up game of chess. It was like they were just using me, and everyone else, to do their dirty work. But after Jude and I were promoted to operatives I started to feel more like an essential piece to the company. And that made me feel even more disgusting."

"Why?" She slowly pulled her notebook close to her and wrote down one word. I tried to read it but her hand covered it.

"My parents were Marines. They instilled a love of this country into my brother and me from a very young age. We were taught to protect this land with everything we had. And New Intelligence just wanted to destroy it. I felt like I'd failed my parents." I sighed deeply. "Can I get a glass of water?" I pointed to the water cooler in the corner of the room.

She smiled at me. "Of course." She kept asking questions as I moved across the room. "What did you learn in your time at New Intelligence. And I'm not talking about life lessons. I mean, what were you taught in your classes?"

I filled a small paper cup full of water and gulped it down quickly. I filled it again and filled one for Jenny. "We were taught a wide variety of things. When we were first recruited the classes seemed more like typical subjects we would learn in school. English, math, writing… those kinds of things." I sat down again and handed Jenny her cup. She thanked me and set it on the table. "But after a few months the classes got more intense. We started learning military tactics, forensic science, weapons training, combat…"

"I'm guessing the courses got even more intense once you got older." She tipped her head to the side a little. She was really studying my face.

"Yeah. We just went more in depth on all of the subjects." I sipped on my water, wondering how much longer the evaluation would work.

"I've read the reports that Agent Gibbs's team collected from New Intelligence. I found your reports to be the most interesting. Commander Doran really liked you. She wrote that she'd never known anyone to excel as much as you, that you were a natural in all forms of combat, and that your leadership was beyond exceptional. You never had a disciplinary report. You seem like the model recruit."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so. I just did what I was told." I sighed and shook my head. "Can we just get to the root of this? I know you just want to know how often I want to explode. Or what I would do if something triggered me. So, please, just ask those questions. I'll answer all of them. I can't handle these "foreplay questions". Can we just get to the action?" I realized that my voice was getting louder and louder. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, just a little frustrated at the situation."

"That's quite alright, Callie. The reason I was asking you those questions is because I needed to get an idea of the knowledge you acquired while you were at New Intelligence. But, we can get to the core questions. So, when you find yourself in a triggered situation, what do you want to do?"

"The only times I've been triggered since I was placed with the Fosters has been when I feel I need to protect them. We were out to dinner a few months ago and a man started screaming at my fosters moms. He was calling them dykes. He said he was going to call social services and have us taken away from them. He was spitting racial slurs out at Lena and the twins. I thought he was going to hit one of us. I remember thinking about what I would do if he did." I took a deep breath and continued. "I was going to tackle him and put a pressure point on his neck so he would pass out."

"So you weren't necessarily going to be violent if you could avoid it? You just wanted to neutralize the situation."

"Exactly. But, I have wanted to be violent a couple times. And I was once…" I hung my head in shame. I felt like I was getting ready to get myself taken away from the only people who had ever truly loved me. "My little brother was attacked about a week ago. I wanted to find the guy who did it and pound him into the ground. I hated seeing my little brother so broken."

"But you didn't go seek him out, right?" She scribbled down a few notes but quickly turned her attention back to me. It was like she was watching her favorite soap opera.

"No, I didn't. I knew Jude needed me to be there for him. If I beat that guy up I would have been arrested probably. It wasn't going to be a productive solution. I- I feel like you think I'm just saying what you want to hear. New Intelligence taught us when violence was necessary. They taught us how to control our wants to go on a rampage. Every time I find myself in one of these situations I think about every possible outcome. And if violence seems like the only way to put an end to the danger, then I react. But if the violence would just cause more problems, I find a different way."

"Callie, from what I'm hearing, you are doing everything right. You've learned how to control your instinct to fight, you're protective, and most of all your loyal to the right people. I would like to make one suggestion though. I want you to talk to a therapist. It can be me, you can talk to the on-staff psychiatrist here at NCIS, or you can find someone of your own choosing. I think it would be helpful for you to continue to work through some of the trauma you experienced. You're young, Callie. You shouldn't have to deal with so much stress and so much pain. Do you think you can do that?"

I smiled softly. "I can do that. Does this mean I can go back home?" I crossed my fingers under the table and prayed she would say yes.

"I have to type up the official report, but yes, you get to go back home tonight. I'm sorry your social worker made this seem like a bigger deal than it really was. You're a good kid. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Jenny gathered all of her things and placed them in her briefcase. "Oh, one more thought. Talk to your moms. I've read your social workers reports and I've talked with her. I know that they love you very much. They just want to help you get better."

I nodded in agreement. I stood and opened the door for her. "Thank you, Jenny. Have nice day."

"You too, Callie. Oh, here's my card in case you want to set up some sessions with me." With that, she made her way to the elevator and disappeared behind the metal doors.

I pocketed her card and made my way down to the squad room.

 **Stef's POV**

It felt like Callie had been up in that conference room for an eternity. But when I checked my watch I was shocked to see that it had only been about twenty minutes.

"Mom! There's Callie!" Jude tapped me on the arm and pointed to the stairs.

I looked up and sure enough there was Callie coming down. I tried to read her face but I couldn't tell if she was happy or sad.

"Please tell me you have good news." I grasped her hands as soon as she reached us. She was shaking a little and I didn't take that as a good sign.

"I uh… I'm… I'm coming home." A single tear fell from her cheek as a smile made its way across her face. "I'm coming home!"

I pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. Jude threw his strong arms around both of us and soon enough Ziva joined in on the love too. The four of us stood their hugging, laughing, and crying for a good amount of time. We were all so overwhelmed with happiness that we couldn't seem to form words.

Finally, Ziva collected herself and broke our silence. "Cal, you should go home. I'll tell Gibbs the good news. You should go celebrate with your family." Ziva wrapped her arms tightly around Callie.

"Are you sure? It's only 1:00. I still have four hours left."

"I'm sure. You aren't training anyone anyway so you'd just be sitting around bored. Get outta here!" Ziva's wide smile warmed my heart. It was so comforting to know that Callie had someone to lean on outside of the family.

"Alright, well let's get going then!" Callie slung her backpack over her shoulder and led Jude and me to the elevator.

 _Several hours later…_

After we'd left the navy yard I called into work and informed them that I was going to be taking a half day. I was assigned to desk duty for the week so I wasn't missing out on much. Finally Lena and the rest of the kids got home after all of their after school practices and meetings.

"Hello, my love!" Lena greeted me with a kiss.

"Where are the kids. I have a surprise for you all." I almost couldn't contain my excitement.

Lena raised one eyebrow, suspicious of what I was up to. "They're getting their things out of the car. Here, they are coming in now."

"You can't always have the front seat Jesus! There is plenty of room for your giant ape legs in the backseat!" Mariana came storming in seconds before her brothers.

"Hey, I don't know what you're bickering about, but forget about it for a few minutes." I gathered the four of them at the table. "I have a surprise for you!"

"What about Jude?" Mariana prodded.

"Jude already knows. He's upstairs sleeping." I rubbed my hands together and jumped around in excitement. "Ready? 3… 2… 1! Ta-dah!"

Callie jumped down from the stairs with a huge smile on her face. She was met with squeals, hugs, and kisses.

"What's happening? Are you home for good?" Mariana all but tackled Callie to the ground and hung onto her for dear life.

"I'm home for good! My evaluation was moved up and I passed!"

"What is with all the screaming? I was trying to take a nap." Jude stumbled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"We're just celebrating because Callie is home. Come join in on the fun, love." I extended my arm to my youngest and pulled him in on the group hug.

For the first time in months I felt at peace. I finally felt like nothing was going to tear us apart. My family was complete. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

 **I've been thinking about a few ideas for the upcoming chapters. I decided to let all of you vote on your favorite. PM me or let me know what your choice is in the reviews!**

 **Option 1- Action oriented. Maybe some kind of trouble with a rogue NI agent or some kind of hostage situation where Jude and Callie have to use their skills.**

 **Option 2- Family oriented. I thought I would bring in Liam. He always seems to bring drama with him!**

 **Option 3- Jude oriented. Maybe expansion on his relationship with Connor. Or I could bring in Noah since their budding relationship is SO cute.**


	23. Storms

**It seems like most of you are voting for option 1 so I'll gear the story in that direction. I did have a couple votes for option 3 so I think I'll add that in as well. Would you rather see the relationship be with Connor or Noah? I'd personally like to write Noah in since not a lot of stories are adding him, but whatever my readers want is what I'll do!**

 **Callie's POV**

A few days after I got approved my Dr. Rallings, we all sat around the table eating breakfast together. It was a Monday morning and everyone was dreading going to school or work. We barely talked all through breakfast.

"I have to get going. My first class starts in less than an hour and the bus ride alone takes 40 minutes." Jude stood and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back buddy? It's only been two weeks…" Lena pulled Jude to the side but we could all hear them.

"I need to get out of this house. I can't just sit around here all day mulling over what happened. I'll be fine. I promise." He checked his watch and then quickly downed his orange juice. "I have to run to the bus stop. If I miss it, I'll be late to my first lecture. And I really don't want to be late on my first day back." Jude ran to the foyer to grab his bag and bounded out the door yelling goodbye as he went.

"I have to get going too. Gibbs called a staff meeting at 8:00 and I want to give myself extra time." I placed my plate in the sink and grabbed my bag from the side room. "Are you sure it's okay that I take the mini-cooper?"

"Yes, love. It's much easier for you to drive yourself than having to find rides. Everyone else can walk home from school. It's not a big deal at all." Stef walked over to me and handed me a thermos.

"Please don't tell me that's coffee!" Lena scolded from her seat.

"Of course not! Just some tea!" Stef answered but winked at me. "Have a good day, sweets. We'll see you at dinner." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and handed me the keys to the mini.

"Love you guys! I'll be back around 5:30!" I called as I raced out the door. It was already 7:20 and I was sure to hit traffic. Worrying I would miss the meeting, I sped down back roads instead of taking the highway. Luckily my plan worked and I got to NCIS at 7:45 sharp. I ran up the stairs to the conference room.

"You better suck that coffee down. This meeting is going to be long and boring." Tony leaned over to me and rolled his eyes.

Gibbs walked in the room and smacked DiNozzo on the back of the head. "You know, there is a way for you to get out of this meeting, Tony."

He sat up eagerly. "Yeah? What's that, boss?" Tony rubbed the back of his head as he spoke.

"Find a different job." Gibbs rarely made jokes but they were always hilarious when he did. "Let's get this thing started so we don't bore DiNozzo to death."

 _Four hours later_

 **Jesus's POV**

"Brandon! Brandon, hey wait up!" I called after my brother as he headed to lunch. "I was planning on heading into town for lunch. You down?"

Brandon closed his book and rolled his eyes. "You know we aren't allowed to leave school grounds for lunch. You've already been busted twice. If you get caught again you're going to get suspended. And that will just piss moms off."

"So I take that as a no?" I joked with Brandon. "Fine, I'll stay here and eat nasty egg salad sandwiches." Just as we sat down, the skies let loose and rain poured down on us. We quickly gathered our things and ran inside.

Everyone was crowding the hallways trying to stay dry from the storm. The winds were picking up and sheets of rain pelted the windows.

"Jesus!" Mariana's voice caught my attention. She pushed her way through swarms of students and finally made it to us. "Can I use your phone? Mine is dead and I need to call Callie. She's supposed to be bring my calculus book to me and I need to make sure she didn't forget."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to my twin. "Are you sure she should be driving in this storm? It's getting pretty nasty out there."

"That's true. I'll just call her and tell her not to worry about it. I'm sure I can just borrow someone else's book." She put the phone up to her ear and plugged her other so she could hear better. "Hey, Callie! Don't worry about bringing my book to me. This storm is really intense. I don't want you to drive in it. … Okay, just pull up under the covered circle drive and I'll grab it from you." She handed the phone back to me and grabbed her bag. "She's almost here. I'm going to go get it. Thanks for letting me use your phone." She smiled and started pushing back through the crowds.

"This sucks. If the storm doesn't calm down by the time school is out they're going to make us stay until it's safe to drive." Brandon slumped down against the lockers and took a huge bite of his sandwich. "The last thing I want is to have to stay here any longer than necessary."

"Dude, can you chew and then speak please? That's nasty." I made a disgusted face even though I always did the same thing. "I'm sure mama could—" My words were cut off by several loud pops. The hall fell silent "What was that? Did lightening hit a tree or something?" I whispered to Brandon.

"It didn't sound like a tree splitting." He peered around the corner we were sitting by but jumped back towards me when more pops went off. "That wasn't lightening. There's a guy at the end of the hall with a big ass gun." Brandon jumped to his feet and started pushing people into classrooms, urging them to be quiet.

"What the hell do we do?!" I helped him get the middle-schoolers into rooms, instructing the older kids to lock the doors, pull the blinds, and create a barricade.

"We have to get to the office so we can tell them there is a shooter. It's possible they didn't hear the shots since it was all the way across the school. Just follow me. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut." Brandon's face was plastered with fear. But, I did what he said and stayed close to him. I walked backwards so I could keep an eye out on what was happening behind us.

The entire way to the office we kept getting people into classrooms and telling them not to leave and not to let anyone in. No teachers were in their rooms because it was lunchtime. They were all either in the teacher's lounge or off campus somewhere. We only made it past a couple classrooms before Brandon stopped dead in his tracks.

"There is another shooter down that hallway." Brandon whispered to me. "We'll have to go outside so we can avoid him." We inched along the wall towards the door that led to the courtyard. "Ready?"

I nodded to my brother. He opened the door and we were met by a torrential downpour. We sprinted across the soggy lawn, praying we wouldn't be seen by the intruders.

 **Callie's POV**

"How was your class?" I questioned Jude as we waited for Mariana to come get her book. I picked him up from his school on my way over here and he hadn't said a word the whole time. When I was met with silence once again I sighed deeply. "Are you pissed at me for some reason? Because you haven't said two words to me since you were at NCIS the other day."

"I don't want to talk about it. Please just leave me alone." He rested his head against the window and watched as droplets of water raced each other to the bottom.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat. Soon enough Mariana came running out of the building and up to the car.

I rolled the window down and stuck her calculus book out. "You need to be more responsible and stop forgetting things! This is the third time I've had to do this! I only have an hour for lunch and I'd _really_ like to spend it eating instead of running errands!"

"Sorry! It won't happen again, promise!" She shoved the book in her bag. "Hey, Jude!"

He didn't even look over to her.

"He's kind of in a bad—"

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Three loud noises rung out from the school. Jude sat up quickly in his seat and turned to look at me. His faced was drained of color and covered with fear. I knew I looked the same way.

"What was that?!" Mariana had crouched down next to the car.

I jumped out of the car and Jude followed in suit. I went to the back and opened the hatchback.

"Callie, what the hell are you doing?" Jude grabbed my wrist as I started to pull up the fabric on floor of the mini cooper.

"I stashed the weapons you got from New Intelligence several months ago. Remember when you gave them to me the first night I was at the house?" I ripped up the fabric and pulled a piece of plywood away. "I wanted to go to a shooting range today just to get some practice in so I put them in the car last night. I guess it's a good thing I did." I pulled the guns and knives out of the little trunk and strapped them to my body. I handed Jude one of the guns but he pulled one out of his bag.

"I didn't go to class today… I went to the range just like you were going to."

"What the hell?! Why do you guys have guns and knives?!" Apparently Mariana had seen all of this happen.

We were still adjusting the weapons on our hips and ankles when more shots went off. I slammed the trunk shut. "Mariana, get in the car and get as far away from here as possible. You need to call mom. Get the cops here. Call Ziva at NCIS and see if they can help. From what I heard, there are multiple shooters. The shots came from different ends of the building. There's no way one person could get across the school that fast."

Mariana stood frozen in front of me. "I uh… I don't have my license. Maybe you should go…" She started to back away but I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her out of her trance.

"No! I have to go in there and make sure no one is hurt!" I opened the driver's door and shoved her in the car. "It's not hard. You've driven some with B. Just go! I'll call mom and Ziva so you don't have to be on the phone. Just go home!"

She nodded as tears welled in her eyes. "Okay. Okay I can do this!" She started the engine as Jude and I made our way towards the building, weapons drawn. "Wait! Callie, Jude!" She called from the open window.

"What?!" I yelled back.

"I love you!" Her brown eyes glistened with tears.

"We love you, too!" Jude yelled out. "Now go! Get out of here!" He waved her on into the raging storm. "Alpha, are you ready?"

"I have to call mom and Ziva. Give me two minutes!" I didn't wait for his answer. The entire time I dialed I hoped no more shots would go off.

"Hey Cal! What's up love?" Stef's cheery voice answered on the other end of the call.

"Stef! There are armed intruders at Anchor Beach. I was dropping off Mariana's textbook when we heard the shots. Get a team down here as fast as possible. I have to call Ziva. Just hurry, please!"

"Callie, slow down. Just tell me what's—"

"I don't have time to explain. Please just send your squad down here!" Tears were threatening to fall. I needed to get in the building to start clearing people out but I still had to call Ziva.

"Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can. Callie, I love you."

"I love you too, mom!" I hung up the phone, barely registering that I had called Stef "mom".

I quickly dialed Ziva and anxiously awaited her answer.

"Special Agent Ziva David." Her voice was much less cheery than Stef's.

"Ziva, get the team and get down to Anchor Beach Charter School. There are shooters in the building. Jude and I are going in." I couldn't wait for her response so I hung up. "Bravo! Follow my lead!" I screamed above the roaring storm.

I stepped in front of my brother and pushed the doors open. The building was eerily silent. Our wet shoes squeaked against the tile floors. Luckily we entered by the front office.

"Put your gun down. We can't go in there, weapons drawn." I harnessed my gun and Jude followed in suit. I tried to twist the doorknob but it was locked. "Jude, I need you to pick it."

He didn't even let me finish before he had his tools out of his pocket. He always carried a travel-sized lock-pick kit. Within a few seconds the door was unlocked. Jude stepped back and let me lead.

I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. We were met by several whimpers and people begging us not to kill them. "We aren't here to hurt you! We're here to help. We just wanted to make sure you'd called the code."

"Callie?" Lena popped up from the other side of the counter. Jesus and Brandon weren't too far behind her. They were both soaking wet.

"We don't have time to explain. Get everyone to the back room and lock the door. Barricade the best you can. We'll lock this one behind us." Jude barked orders. We made for a quick exit but Brandon stopped us.

"Hey!" He whisper-yelled. "There are at least two shooters. We counted them as we made our way over here. They're wearing colored arm-bands. We saw red and blue. I guess there could be more but that's all we saw.

My heart dropped when he spoke and I knew Jude's did too. I nodded weakly at Brandon to silently thank him for the information. I pulled the door shut behind me and sunk to the floor.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jude's voice was barely above a whisper.

I nodded. "Colored arm-bands? It has to be NI agents. I've never heard of anyone else doing that. But we only did it during training. We never would have had any identifying marks on a mission. What the hell are they thinking?" I racked my brain for answers.

"That doesn't really matter! Do you remember the colors that he said? _Red and blue._ Whenever we did this kind of training red and were the designated team leaders. Each team had three members including the leader. Alpha, there are most likely _six_ shooters in this building. If they are all NI agents, we're severely outnumbered. What the hell are we going to do?"

I hung my head trying to come up with a plan. A storm was raging inside of me. Fear and anger swirled in my head fighting to take over my thought process. "We do what we were trained to do." I fought through my internal storm, ready to take on a new, physical one. "We fight. And 'severely outnumbered' my ass. _We're Alpha and Bravo_. Those fools are no match for us." I stood up and pulled two of my guns, one for each hand. "You ready for this, Bravo?" I looked over at my brother who had followed my actions. With a weapon in each hand he nodded. "Alright, let's get a move on then."


	24. Death Is Upon Us

**So I didn't plan on it, but this chapter is pretty long and I'm not sure how good it is. It doesn't feel very cohesive. Hopefully it doesn't drag. Also, I'm not going to make a chapter on the legal stuff. I feel like it would be too boring. All of that will be explain within the next chapter(s). I hope you enjoy this! Don't forget to leave me some reviews!**

 **Jude's POV**

I racked my brain trying to figure out why NI agents would be here. We activated the chips. They shouldn't have been able to revert back to how they were seven months ago.

Callie closed her eyes and took three deep breaths; it was something she always did before any fight or mission. This day was no different.

"What's the plan? Do we evacuate? Do we neutralize the intruders?" I rolled my shoulders trying to loosen up the tension that had built up.

"We can't move everyone to one location. That would just make everyone sitting ducks: easy targets. We have to find them and get them to surrender or…" She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about the alternative. "We've been sitting here for way too long. Stay close."

Callie started walking quietly down the hall. We checked each door as we passed making sure they were locked. Every time we jiggled the door handle we could here terrified whimpers coming from inside. They probably thought we were going to bust in and kill them. A year ago that's exactly what we would have done.

I shook the thought of that from my brain. I twisted the handle to the last door in the hall. Unlike all the others, this one opened.

" _Psst._ " I whispered to my sister. She looked over at me with a confused and worried look on her face. I motioned to the door that I'd set ajar.

Callie took three big strides across the hallway, ready to take the lead into the room. She nodded, signaling that she was ready, and I pulled the door wide open. We were met with gasps and terrified faces.

"Please, don't shoot. They're only in seventh grade!" The young teacher pleaded. He stood up and stretched his arms out to his sides. Tears filled his eyes.

"We aren't here to hurt you. We're here to help." Callie pulled her NCIS badge out of her inside jacket pocket to show them that we were the good guys. "You have to lock this door. Put heavy items in front of it like the desks."

I pointed across the room to the windows. "Pull the blinds and stay on the floor. Don't make a sound. Someone will be back as soon as possible to get you out of here. We aren't going to let anything happen to you."

The teacher nodded, eyes still full tears and terror. But, regardless, he did what we said.

We made our way back into the hall but Callie paused before we went any further. She pulled her buzzing phone out of her pocket and motioned me over to read the message.

 _We just arrived. What do we do? Are you okay? Are you getting people out?_

Ziva's text lifted some weight off my chest. Back up had arrived and more would be here as soon as mom showed up.

Callie quickly responded.

 _Do a perimeter sweep. We're fine. No, we're finding the intruders before we move anyone. Make contact once you're done with the sweep. We'll find a good way for you to enter._

I glanced up at Callie's face once she was done typing. Her expression was hard and emotionless. She looked like she did whenever we were on missions at New Intelligence. Was she going to revert on me?

"Okay, we have to move faster. We're going to end up losing hostages if we keep moving at this pace." Callie pocketed her phone and turned to face me. "Bravo, you know exactly what to do in these situations. Push the fear out of your mind and just rely on your instincts. We can't be talking in the halls. They'll hear us and come for us. So, do what you were trained to do. Got it?" Callie squeezed my shoulders, almost as if to tell me that she was scared too.

I nodded in compliance. I did what she said: I pushed the fear that clouded my thoughts as far away as I could. I had to forget about my family. I had a job to do. Jude left me and Bravo took his place.

 **Callie's POV**

I watched as Jude tried to rid himself of his fear. It was an amazing, but horrifying, thing to watch. All emotion was wiped from his young face and his entire body became rigid, almost robotic. He wasn't the Jude I'd come to know over the last six months. He was the Bravo I knew for ten years before that. I hated watching his transformation but I knew I'd done the same thing moments before. I knew that he'd watched my transformation and hated what he saw.

I pointed down the hallway to our left, indicating that we were heading in that direction. Jude nodded in agreement. All of the classrooms in that hall were empty due to construction so we basically ran down it, but all the while searching for the intruders.

It was so weird. We couldn't find them anywhere. It was like they came in, shot off a few rounds, and left. Just as I was thinking this, a familiar voice came over the speakers.

"Alpha, Bravo! We know you're in here. We don't want to hurt anyone; we just want you." The line went dead and Jude and I were frozen in place.

"Alpha… they're in the office." Jude's eyes were wet with tears. "Mama, B, and Jesus are in the office." He didn't even wait for my response; he just took off in their direction. I wasn't too far behind.

We ran all the way, fearing the worst when we arrived. Jude quickly picked the lock once again and we entered the deserted office, weapons leading the way. None of the rogue agents were in the main office or the surrounding rooms. Lena and the rest of the group were shaken up, but they weren't injured.

"I'm going to kill those bastards." Jude muttered under his breath. Rage filled his voice. I nudged him to say his comment wasn't appropriate, but I was thinking the same thing.

My phone lit up with a text from Ziva and one from Stef.

"Bravo, we have to find them before we let backup come in. Stef is saying that her Captain is wanting to move in without our say so. Let's move." I shoved my phone in my pocket ran out of the office with Jude right behind me.

Our pace quickened when shots rang out from the other end of the building.

We came up on the gym where the bullets came from. I peered into the small window and saw two of the invaders. They'd shot their weapons out the window, warning the officers to stay away from the building.

"Bravo," I whispered. "We're moving in on my count." I mouthed _3, 2, 1_ to my partner. We pulled open the doors and rushed the agents. They trained their weapons on us but didn't fire. They knew that we would beat them to the trigger.

"Ah, it's so nice to see the two of you again!" Robin, who we knew as Echo from New Intelligence, took two small steps in our direction. We were less than three feet apart. "We've been looking for you." She smiled devilishly.

"Echo, what the hell is going on? Why did you come to Anchor Beach? We don't even go to school here!" Jude lowered one of his guns slightly so it was aimed directly at Robin's chest.

"Wait, what?" Marcus, the other gunman, shook his head in confusion. "Your foster siblings go here."

"Tango, shut the hell up!" Robin screamed teammate. She angrily turned her attention back to us. "What the hell do you mean you don't go here? We've seen your foster family here!"

Jude laughed at her statement. "Did you do any recon at all?"

Robin and Marcus shifted uncomfortably. "This was kind of thrown together a few days ago." Marcus finally spoke up, filling the silence that separated us.

It was my turn to laugh. "Seriously? You started a mission with only a few days of planning under your belts? Did you learn _nothing_ at New Intelligence?"

Unfortunately, my comical moment wasn't so funny to my opponent. Robin took one more big step forward and pressed the barrel of her pistol to my forehead.

"Shut the hell up, bitch! I didn't ask for your help!" She leaned in so her face was inches from mine. "You aren't in charge of us anymore. _I'm calling the shots now_."

Suddenly, Jude lunged through the air and wrapped a strong arm around Marcus's neck and shoved one of his guns into the boy's temple. The sudden attack knocked Marcus's gun out of his hand. Jude kicked it across the floor, far away from the four of us.

"Echo, I suggest you remove your gun from Alpha's head. If not, I'll blow Tango's off." Jude's threat wasn't an empty one. He wasn't thinking like Jude. Bravo had taken the driver's seat. If Robin didn't comply, Marcus was a goner for sure.

Robin's eyes never left my face. She pressed the gun into my head a little harder.

"Echo! He's going to kill me!" Marcus was straining to speak from the intense pressure Jude was putting on his throat.

 _She's going to let Jude kill him_.

That was the only thought going through my head. I wasn't about ready to let my brother fire the first shot in this battle. I made a choice, hoping it wasn't a stupid one.

In one fluid motion, I quickly brought both of my weapons up and smashed them into Robin's ribs. I knew I only had a few seconds before she recuperated so I holstered my guns and made my move.

I kicked her right hand trying to make her drop the gun. But, her grip was too tight. She retaliated by firing one shot at me. Luckily, it was a bad shot and it only grazed my arm. I was on autopilot from that point on. My fist smashed into her face. My heel came down and crushed the top of her foot. I wrenched her arm up so far behind her back that her shoulder dislocated. I threw her to the ground and pressed my knee into her back.

"You aren't a match for me, Echo!" The words spit like fire coming out of my mouth. I searched her for more weapons but was delighted when I came across a pair of handcuffs. "Thought you were going to restrain me with these, didn't you?" I clicked the cuffs of her wrists with her arms behind her back.

"Bravo, search Tango for a pair of cuffs." I ordered, my knee still pressed into the young girl's back.

"I found some."

"Restrain him, but put him out first." I stood and walked over to Jude.

He nodded and slapped the cuffs on Marcus's wrists. "Night, Tango." He whispered as he pressed two fingers into a pressure point. Jude let our former ally slump to the ground in a big heap.

"Collect their weapons. We have to find the rest of them." I commanded Jude. As he did that, I responded to Ziva and Stef.

 _Ziva, come in through the east entrance. We've detained two of the intruders. Come take them away while we find the rest. When you're done, start evacuating._

I wiped sweat from my brow before responding to Stef.

 _Create a safe zone. Ziva is going to start bringing out the students in a few minutes. Get everyone as far away from the school as possible. This is going to be over soon_.

"Alpha, I found their plan." Jude walked over to me with a sheet of crumpled paper in his hands. "I found it in Echo's jacket pocket.

I grabbed the paper from him and examined the poorly thought out plan. "Geez, they did a horrible job. There are only two others according to this. Apparently the other two are sweeping classrooms looking for us."

"Does it say what they wanted with us?"

"No, it just says to take us alive." I scoffed at the thought. _Like they would ever get the upper hand on us._ "Alright, let's go find these idiots."

Jude handed me one of the guns he recovered and I shoved in the back of my waistband. I now had four guns on me and one knife. _I think I'm pretty well armored_ , I thought silently.

As we exited the gym, Gibbs and the rest of his team were coming our way.

"What the hell is happening?" Gibbs's rough whisper cut through the air like a knife. He was dripping wet from the storm

"There are rogue NI agents here. I don't know how, but somehow the chips in their brains failed. They came for us, not to hurt people aimlessly. There are only two left. We're going in search of them now. Follow behind us and take the students after we clear the rooms." I started down the hall but Ziva grabbed my arm. I winced in pain when my wound finally came to life underneath my jacket.

"Cal, you have to let us take the lead. It's too dangerous for you and Jude to be in here. Go out to your mom. She's worried sick about the two of you." She tried to push me towards the door but I tore away from her grasp.

"Absolutely not! We know how these agents operate. We know how to fight them. _You don't_. If we let you take the lead… they'll kill you. I'm not letting that happen." Without waiting for her approval, I signaled for Jude to follow me.

Luckily Gibbs and Ziva agreed to follow even if they thought I was wrong. McGee and DiNozzo dragged Robin and Marcus outside where I can only assume they were put in ambulances, but not after they were put in full body shackles.

We began clearing rooms in search of the last two gunmen. We came up empty in the first hall so Gibbs took all of the students out to where Stef and her team would be awaiting their arrival.

Hallway after hallway, we kept coming up empty handed. I leaned against the wall, knowing they had to be down the next corridor. It was the last one.

"Ziva, go get everyone from the office and evacuate them. Gibbs, come with us. The last two are down here somewhere." I wiped the sweat from my face and waited for them to agree.

Ziva took off for the office, constantly checking for the agents around each corner.

"You ready, kid?" Gibbs came close and crouched down so he was eye level with me.

I shook my head and blinked away tears. "This is going to end with at least one person dead. I just know it." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hey! You shake off whatever demons are clouding your mind. For Christ's sake, Cal. I'm letting two kids lead me into one of the most terrifying evacuations I've ever been a part of. But, I'm not worried. Wanna know why? Because _you_ are leading me. Now, be a damn leader and get your ass down that hall before I kick it down there."

I cleared my throat and wiped the tears from my eyes. "You're right. Let's do this."

Jude and I led the way. We decided not to waste time picking locks so we kicked the doors in instead. Nearly no one had created a barricade so it was easy to enter the rooms. We did a quick sweep, checking behind the teachers' desks and in the closets if the room had one. Gibbs kept everyone quiet and calm, reassuring them that we were only there to help.

"There are only two rooms left, Alpha. How do we go about this?" Jude leaned over, trying to catch his breath.

"We keep going like we have been. They aren't going to kill innocent kids, so bust down the door." I spoke as I walked towards the door, ready to put an end to this nightmare. But, as soon as I pushed the door open to step into the hallway, bullets flew past the entrance.

I eyed Jude, and silently asked if he was ready for a fight. He nodded, but his eyes were wild with terror. I stepped up to the door and peaked through the bottom of the glass where the curtain didn't quite meet the wood of the door.

"They're both out there. I don't see anyone else."

"Who is it? Can you tell?" Jude's voice was so quiet I could barely hear him.

"It looks like November and Zulu. Well, that's good. They never did have good aim." I put my back to the door and yelled into the open. "Agents! Put down your weapons and surrender. This is not going to end well for you otherwise!"

"Screw you, Alpha!" Zulu's young voice rang in my ears.

"Fine! You want a fight, you've got one!" Jude screamed from next to me.

Death was in front of us. But whose we didn't know.

 **Stef's POV**

Kids poured from the building with their hands on their heads. Their tears mixed with the pelting rain, but even the thunder couldn't mask their sobs. I directed everyone to officers who would take them to the rec center across the street where they could meet up with their terrified parents.

"Mom!" Jesus's voice cut through the roaring storm. He barreled into me and wrapped me in a tight hug. Lena and Brandon were right behind him, tears streaming down their faces. "Where is Mariana? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, love. She came to the station right before we left. Don't worry about her, she's safe." I yelled above the storm that was drenching my children and wife. "You need to go across the street and go inside! It's too dangerous for you to be out here!"

Lena pulled on our sons' arms, dragging them to safety. I locked eyes with her and mouthed _I love you_.

My attention was abruptly brought back to the scene before me when multiple gunshots came from inside the school. The rain was making it hard to see if anyone was coming out.

Everything was still for a few moments. No one left the school and no more shots went off.

"We have movement!" Captain Arnold screamed above the thunder.

We all pulled our weapons, ready to fire upon whoever exited the school.

The doors opened and two figures emerged. I couldn't make out their faces, but I prayed to a God I only newly believed in that the two figures were my children.

They walked slowly through the storm, hand-in-hand. My heart jumped a beat.

"Stand down, stand down!" I waved my arms to the line of guns on either side of me, urging them not to shoot. I ran through the forceful winds towards the kids who had stolen my heart the moment I met them ten years ago. "Callie! Jude!" As soon as I was within arm's length, I pulled them close to me, holding them tightly.

The three of us sunk to the ground together, sobbing in each other's arms. I pulled away and quickly searched them for injuries. Callie winced when I touched her left arm.

"You're going to be okay, baby. It's only a flesh wound." I kissed her cheek and did the same to her brother.

"Mom." Callie collapsed into my lap, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. "Mom, I killed them."


	25. Sad Brown Eyes

**Thanks for all of your wonderful responses! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 ***There may be triggering aspects to Callie's point of view.**

 **Stef's POV**

Callie's words cut like a knife through my heart.

 _Mom, I killed them_.

She laid in my lap, weeping in the middle of the storm. Jude knelt next to us with no emotion on his face whatsoever.

"Foster! We have to get everyone inside!" One of my fellow officers ran up to us hollering above the ever-growing storm. "This storm is quickly turning into a massive blizzard! Temperatures are dropping like crazy! You need to get home!"

He pulled us to our feet and ran us to our car where the rest of the family was waiting. I basically had to drag Callie and Jude the entire way. They were emotionally and physically wrecked.

As soon as we got in the car a lightning bolt struck a tree by the school, exploding wood shards all over school grounds.

"Stef, are we going to make it back to the house? Maybe we should stay at the rec center tonight." Lena leaned over and whispered in my ear, not wanting to scare our already terrified children in the backseat.

I looked over my shoulder and eyed the four in the car with us. Jesus was trying to put up a brave front, Jude stared out the window, emotionless, and Brandon was doing his best to console a sobbing Callie.

"No, we have to go home. They're all devastated. And Mariana is home alone. We can't leave her there by herself for God knows how long. It's only a few miles. We'll be okay." I started the car and began driving home. The rain made it nearly impossible to see and the wind was constantly threatening to blow us off of the road. The water on the road was quickly turning to ice as we drove. Luckily no one else was stupid enough to be out in conditions like this. The ride home felt like it lasted hours even though it only took us slightly longer than usual.

"Okay, everyone get inside as quick as possible. This storm is growing by the second and we can't afford to be out here longer than necessary." Lena turned around and instructed the kids once we pulled up to our home.

Brandon and Jesus jumped out of the car the second I put it in park. They ran inside with Lena in between them. Jesus held his jacket over Lena's head trying to protect her from the harsh snowflakes falling from the sky.

I pulled open the back door and grabbed ahold of Callie. I reached for Jude but he avoided my touch.

"Jude, love, we have to go inside!" I reached for him again but he got out on the other side. I pulled Callie into my arms and ran with her to the porch, passing her off to Lena who brought her inside.

I turned around, expecting Jude to be running towards me, but I found him standing in the yard. His arms were outstretched and his face was turned towards the sky. It was the first time he looked peaceful in weeks. I began to go get him but Brandon barreled past me. He wrapped his arms around Jude's torso and hauled him to the house. Jude didn't fight, he just went limp.

Everyone stood in the foyer with blank expressions on their faces. Mariana had come downstairs and attached herself to Jesus.

"Alright, why don't we all go upstairs. Get dried off and put some warm clothes on. Come down to the living room when you're done." Lena and I ushered our children up the stairs and into their rooms. My heavy feet barely carried me to my room before I collapsed on the bed, trounced by the nearly unbelievable events of the day.

Lena exited the bathroom and wrapped a large towel around my shoulders. "What are we supposed to do? How do we even begin to comfort them?"

I stood and walked to my dresser. I removed a pair of cotton sweatpants and a cozy long-sleeved shirt. "I don't have one clue. Let's just take it one step at a time."

Ten minutes later everyone was sitting around the living room wrapped in warm blankets. I examined each of their faces.

The twins and Brandon looked so traumatized and damaged. I could tell that everything that had happened was replaying on a loop in their heads. They would never be able to forget the sounds of bullets being fired in their school.

Jude was still a blank slate. He barely even blinked. He just stared out the window and watched the growing blizzard. And Callie was still crying. Her sobs had turned into silent tears and occasional sniffs and whimpers.

"Mama and I don't even know how to begin to explain all of this. We want you to know that we're here for anything you need. If you want to talk, we can will listen. If you want to cry, we can hold you. If you want space, we can give it to you." I spoke quietly and hoped one of them would say something.

Everyone remained silent for a few minutes. The only sounds to be heard were the howling of the wind and our soft breathing.

"I'm sorry." Callie whispered so quietly that we almost couldn't hear her.

My heart broke for my daughter. She was taking complete responsibility for everything that happened. I moved across the room and sat next to her on the couch. "Love, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't cause this." I kissed her cheek and pulled her close to me.

"Callie, you and Jude saved us. If you wouldn't have been there… who knows what would have happened?" Jesus tried to comfort his sister but I knew his words fell short in Callie's mind.

The room fell silent once again. It was like we were strangers meeting for the first time. Mariana finally broke the stillness.

"What are we supposed to do for the rest of the day? It's barely even two in the afternoon." She yawned widely as she spoke.

"How about I make some tomato soup and grilled cheese?" Lena suggested with a soft smile. Her offer was met with little nods of acceptance. They all stood and followed her into the kitchen, anxious to be the one to receive the first warm bowl of soup.

Callie, however, remained in her spot, curled up next to me.

"Love, why don't we go upstairs and talk? We can get in mine and mama's bed and get warm under the covers." I led her up the stairs into my room where she eagerly climbed under the blankets and laid down on Lena's side. I smiled sadly at the young girl. She looked so small and so vulnerable.

I got in on my side and laid next to her, our noses only inches from each other.

She sighed deeply and wiped a tear that had escaped her beautiful brown eyes. "I thought I was done." She whispered.

"Thought you were done with what, my love?" I reached my hand up to wipe away more tears that started to fall. Her sad brown eyes couldn't contain them any longer.

"I thought I was done aiming guns at people. I thought I would never have to pull a trigger if another human being was on the other end of the weapon in my hand." She shuddered and moved closer to me. "Am I going to go to jail?"

Her words made my heart feel like it was physically breaking. "No, Callie. You aren't going to go to jail. You were acting in self-defense and in the defense of others. That goes for Jude as well. The security cameras at the school will back that up."

"I'm so scared. I shouldn't be, though. We were trained to not be scared of these situations. Not before, during, or after." She snuggled right up next to me and grasped both of my hands. "Can we just stay here for a little while? I'm too tired to move."

"Of course we can. We'll stay right here for as long as you want." I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes. The only thing in that moment that I wanted was for her to feel safe and loved. Sleep had claimed Callie's consciousness and was soon washing over me like waves at a beach. My eyelids became heavy and my fight to stay awake was soon lost to darkness.

 **Callie's POV**

 _"Pull the damn trigger!" Liam's angry voice rang in my ears. It was my first time working with the new trainer and he'd done nothing but yell at me. "Pull the trigger right now or you can deal with the consequences later!"_

 _My hands trembled and tears streamed down my face. But, I raised my index finger and pulled the trigger. Screams of pain erupted from across the room as 50,000 volts of electricity rendered my little brother physically incapacitated. I dropped the taser and fell to my knees. His cries echoed in my ears and I wanted more than anything to go comfort him. But, when I looked up he was being hauled away by two members of the medical team._

 _"You need to go to Commander Doran's office to fill out a disciplinary report." Liam grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and yanked me to my feet. He leaned close to me and whispered in my ear. "The next time you don't do what I say, you'll wish you wouldn't have been recruited. Get out of my sight, bitch." He shoved me away from him and walked towards the trainers' suite._

 _I collected myself and slowly made my way to the commander's office._

 _"Enter." Doran's voice came from behind the solid oak door following my three soft taps._

 _I opened the door and saluted her weakly._

 _"At ease, Alpha." Her eyes soften when she saw how distraught I was. "Sit down and relax. Bravo had to be disciplined. He punched an agent without reason or warning. You know that fighting isn't tolerated. And I especially can't allow for one of my operatives to assault a subordinate. This will teach him to act like a leader, not a child."_

 _I wiped my tears with a tissue that she handed me. "I understand this, ma'am. I just hate seeing my brother in pain and I particularly don't like causing his pain." Finally, my tears had stopped and my anger had subsided slightly. "May I fill out the disciplinary report so I can return to the barracks?"_

 _Doran exhaled loudly. "Yes, but I want it detailed. And the only reason you had to execute his punishment was because you are the superior officer. This will get easier, I promise."_

 _I sat in her office for about twenty minutes describing the incident from earlier in the day. I signed the bottom and filed it._

 _I began the walk back to the barracks but was pulled into a storage closet unexpectedly._

 _"Let's see if you've learned to follow orders yet." Liam's heavy breath was hot against my neck. The little room was pitch black and I couldn't find my bearings. "Stand still, don't move, and don't you dare scream."_

 _His body pinned me against the back wall and his lips were wet against mine. He moved his hands all over and lingered a little too long sometimes._

 _"Alright, now lay down and let me show you how I discipline girls like you."_

My eyes popped open and I shot out of the bed, my heart and mind racing.

"Shhh, everything is fine. You're safe. You're home, Callie. Just breathe with me, love." Stef was to my side in an instant and Lena wasn't too far behind.

"No! Get off of me! Don't touch me, Liam!" I curled up in a ball and covered my ears with my hands. His name escaped my lips and I so desperately wanted to retract it.

"Callie, who's Liam? Was he one of the agents in the school?" Lena's soothing voice slowly eased the panic that was growing in my chest.

I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, leaning against the bed. "No," I shook my head, "He's not one of the agents. He was a trainer. I really don't want to talk about it."

Stef and Lena sat on either side of me, each taking one of my hands in their own. "How about we just sit right here until you feel a little better. Does that sound okay?" Stef lightly drew circles on the palm of my hand as she spoke.

I nodded my head and closed my eyes. My breaths still were labored but they were starting to come easier. Images from New Intelligence were slowly dissipating and I was constantly being brought back to the reality I was in. I was home. I was safe. That's all that mattered.

After about fifteen minutes I felt calm again, but I was so comfortable in between Stef and Lena that I decided not to move. But Jude's voice pulled me out of my now-peaceful trance.

"Alpha, we need to talk about some things." Those were his first words since we walked out of the school. I shuddered when he called me Alpha.

"Jude, love, why don't you come sit with us." Lena offered a hand to him but he took a few steps backwards.

He shook his head and his eyes silently pleaded with me. "Alpha, please just come with me."

"No. You can either come in here or you can wait until later." I spoke firmly with him knowing he would give in.

He hung his head and heavily shuffled into the room. He took a seat across from me and pulled his New Intelligence laptop from the bag he was carrying. "We have to go through the database and see if any of the other chips were defective." His voice was robotic. He was reverting on me.

Stef and Lena shared a worried look. "Uh, what database? I thought you wiped those computers months ago?" Lena was obviously worried and her voice was lined with some amounts of anger.

"I couldn't do that. We would lose everything. I decided that it wasn't worth it in case we were ever in a situation like this." Jude was typing furiously on the keyboard.

I sighed and moved away from the comfort of my moms. I sat next to my little brother and eyed the screen. "So, as far as we know, only four chips were defective. Do you think they were just missed on when they were initially activated?"

"No, I triple checked to make sure I activated everyone's. Well, all but ours'. I don't know what happened but if the others start to fail, we could have a disaster on our hands."

"Okay, well begin the scan. I need to start formulating a plan in case any others are dysfunctional."

"We don't need a plan. All we do is find them via the GPS signal in the chips and eliminate them." Jude's words were like ice down my spine. He was so traumatized that he was completely regressing to Bravo.

"Hey, you need to snap the hell out of it, Jude! You _know_ that we aren't going to do that." I hissed. "Look at me, dammit!" I grabbed his chin and forced him to face me. "Jude, I know you're in there. Please just remember who you are."

His eyes were empty. "There's no time for games right now." He pulled his face from my grip and turned back to the screen.

"Callie, what is going on?" Stef grabbed my hand, pulling my attention away from Jude.

"Everything from today traumatized him so much that he is reverting back to his New Intelligence ways. I can get him to snap out of it. But, honestly, it will be better to do it after we figure this mess out. He works better as Bravo instead of Jude." My eyes rimmed with tears. 'Snapping' him out of it wasn't going to be easy. It was going to be painful for him. But it had to be done, I didn't have a choice.

"The scan is complete." Jude's robotic words snapped me back to reality.

"Good, how is everything looking?" I leaned over his shoulder and read through the list.

Jude let out a breath of relief. "All of the other chips are working perfectly. I'll keep an eye on them to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"And if something does go wrong?" Lena joined the conversation nervously.

"I'll just have to reactivate it. As long as I catch it quickly nothing bad will happen. I'll set up an alert system. If one of them defects, the system on my computer will notify my phone. I can reactivate it from there." Jude closed his laptop and stood. He saluted me and waited for me to dismiss him.

"Jude, you aren't at New Intelligence anymore. You're at home. It's just been a hard day. You can remember, can't you?" I stood too, and talked soothingly to him.

Lena and Stef were on their feet as well, watching in awe.

I turned to face them. "Go to the other side of the room. I don't want you close to us in case he reacts."

"Wait, what?" They both said in unison.

I didn't have time to explain. Every second that I waited, Jude was slipping farther and farther away from me. I turned back to him and locked eyes with him.

"Jude, you are not Bravo anymore. That part of your life is over."

He flinched, almost like he was starting to remember. But he quickly shook it off and straightened his posture.

"Alpha, I am requesting that you salute me back so I may return to my work."

"Dammit." I took a step back and tightened my fist. "I'm so sorry Jude."

I swung as hard as I possibly could and landed the most solid punch I'd ever thrown squarely on Jude's lower cheek. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"Callie! What the hell did you do?" Lena ran to him and pulled his limp body into her arms.

"It was the only way to get him to come back to us. I had to do it a few months ago. He was triggered by something and started to revert. It's going to be fine." I shook my hand, trying to relieve it of the pain.

"Is he going to be alright?" Stef was obviously not happy with me but was deciding to choose her battles.

"He's going to wake up in a few minutes and he's going to be sore. But, he'll be back to the Jude you know and love."

Lena let out a nervous laugh. "Well, that's something I never thought I would see."

Stef returned the laugh. "I can't decide if I should ground you or congratulate you for one hell of a punch!"


	26. Just Let Us Help You

**I know some of you really wanted me to stay away from Liam, but his storyline isn't going to be the same as most stories. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Don't forget to leave me some reviews!**

 **Jude's POV**

My world started coming back to me but it was hazy and I was in pain. I groaned and squeezed my eyes tight.

"Jude, open your eyes. You need to wake up now." Callie's voice was stern and demanding. I felt her pull me to a sitting position.

"What the hell happened? Why is my head pounding? And why does my jaw hurt like a bitch?"

"Language, young man." Lena's voice made my eyes pop wide open. I'd figured that I was in my room or maybe Callie's. But I was shocked to find out I was on the floor of Stef and Lena's room.

"What's my name?" Callie ignored my questions and went straight to her own.

"Uhh, Callie? Is that supposed to be a trick question?" I laughed a little but quickly stopped when it intensified the pain beneath my skull.

"Oh thank God." Lena put her head in her hands a breathed a sigh of relief.

"You were reverting on me again. I had to knock you out of it… literally." My sister smiled down at me and helped me to my feet.

The four of us stood in silence for a few minutes, no one really knowing what to say.

"Jude, how often do you feel yourself slipping back?" Lena spoke softly. She almost seemed unsure of her words.

I sat down on the bed and thought for a moment. "It just happens when something big triggers me. It happened a few months ago and that was because of the shootout downtown. It was right by campus and I had to help people hide."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Callie was angry. "I could have helped you. We could have talked about it."

"Well maybe I didn't want to talk! Maybe I just wanted to deal with something on my own for once instead of having you breathing down my neck. Dammit, Callie! Just leave me the hell alone!" I stormed out of their room and locked myself in my own. I was exhausted and upset from everything that had happened and I wanted nothing more than to just sleep for the rest of my life.

 **Callie's POV**

As soon as he ran off I started after him but Stef stopped me.

"No, Callie. Just let him be for a little bit. We can talk to him later." She directed me back to the bed and made me sit down. "Mama and I want to talk to you. Think you're up for a little chat?" She rubbed my back soothingly but her voice told me it wasn't an option.

"Sure." I shrugged my shoulders, already knowing what it was going to be about.

Lena sat on my other side and took my hand in hers. "Can you tell us about Liam? We understand that it will be painful, but we just want to help you."

I sat there with them in the stillness, not wanting to delve into the conversation.

"Please, love. Just let us help you." Stef's words were laced with pain. I hated myself for causing it.

Tears were brimming in my eyes once again. I felt like I hadn't stopped crying since I collapsed into Stef earlier in the day. "Liam was a trainer at New Intelligence. He was supposed to help us with target practice. He took a particular interest in me. Probably because I was older than all of the other girls." I wiped away the lone tear that had made its way to my chin. "One day I was heading back to the barracks after filling out a disciplinary report in Commander Doran's office. He pulled me into a closet and started touching me. I just let him do it. It was easier than him getting mad and doing something worse. But then he told me to lay down so he could show me how he disciplined girls like me. I knew what that meant but I wasn't about ready to let it happen."

"So you found a way to get help?" Lena's response made me laugh silently.

"No. I kneed him in the groin and smashed him into the shelves. I twisted his arm around and told him if he ever touched me again I'd kill him." My words fell flat. I'd never realized how often I would threaten people with death.

"That still has to be traumatizing for you. I'm sorry that happened." Stef kissed my temple and held me in her arms.

The lights above us flickered for a few seconds and then finally gave out.

"Moms!" Jesus's voice bellowed from the stairs, echoing in my ears.

"I guess that's our cue to go downstairs." I cleared my throat and made my way to the living room, not waiting for either of them.

"Where's Jude?" Brandon was the first one to speak to me once I reached the bottom of the stairs. "We figured he would be with you guys."

"Jude's not feel that great. He's laying down in his room." Lena brushed my shoulder as she passed me and I instinctively flinched away from her.

The six of us huddled together in the living room, doing our best to fight the coldness that was settling in upon us. The stillness in the room was becoming too much for me to handle. I felt like everyone's eyes were on me, waiting for me to breakdown again.

"Um, are you guys… scared of me?" Chills ran down my spine as I spoke the words. I feared their answers would be yes.

Mariana squeezed my hand under the blanket we were sharing. "I can't say that your abilities aren't scary. I mean, you've only told me a little bit about what you were trained in, but it was all really intense. And if I didn't know _you_ , knowing what you're capable of would terrify me beyond belief. But you're my sister and I love you more than you could ever know. No, Callie. I'm not afraid of you. I'm amazed by you. If you and Jude weren't here tonight, I don't think I would be able to sleep. I know that you aren't going to let anything happen to us; not tonight and not ever."

I smiled at my sister and laid my head on her shoulder.

Jesus and Brandon shared a look and a smile. "We agree with Mariana. You and Jude kick ass." Jesus eyed Lena and his smile faded for just an instant. "Sorry, mama."

"It's okay, Jesus. You're right! They do kick ass."

"Literally." Brandon mumbled under his breath.

We all broke out into laughter, holding onto to each other in our giddiness.

But, our happy moment was abruptly ended by a knock at the door. We all looked around the circle at each other, searching for a clue of who was behind the door.

There was another pound on the door and Jude quickly padded down the stairs with a horrified look on his face.

Stef stood but I grabbed her wrist to stop her. "I can't let you open that door. If it's a rogue agent they'll mow you down to get in this house."

She sighed and helped me stand up. "You might need this then." She pulled her service weapon from her hip and placed it in my hand. "I've never handed a gun to a child." Her forced laughter put the tiniest smile on my face.

I turned to Jude. "Ready?" I whispered.

He responded only with a nod. He let me take the lead and we stood in front of the door.

"Who's out there?" Jude's voice boomed over the howling wind. We could hear muffled words on the other side but we could make out the voices. "Cal, on my count." His voice returned to a whisper. " _One, two, three!_ "

Jude yanked the door open and snow came flying inside. I stuck the gun straight out in front of me, waiting for an attack but it never came.

"Woah, Callie! It's just me, Mike!" Mike's face emerged from the wall of white snow. He had his hands raised and he looked more terrified than any other grown man I'd ever seen. "I brought your friends from NCIS with me too."

"Come on, let us in! It's freezing out here!" DiNozzo's whine broke the tension that had built up among all of us and reduced us to laughter.

Mike led the way in and was followed by Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, McGee, Ducky, and Abby.

"Did you bring all of NCIS with you, Gibbs? Should we be expecting the director as well?" Jude ushered everyone into the living room but stopped in his place when he heard a familiar voice.

"No, but is it okay that I tagged along?" Connor emerged from behind DiNozzo. He had been easily concealed by his father.

"What in the world is going on?" Stef ran over to everyone, offering them warm blankets. "It's way too dangerous for you all to be out in this storm!"

"We had to talk to you guys about some stuff and we really didn't want to wait. Mike led us over here from the school once we were done collecting evidence." Gibbs happily accepted the blanket and wrapped an arm around Abby who was shaking like a leaf.

"Kids, run up to your rooms and bring down every blanket you can find. It's going to be a long cold night." Everyone rushed up the stairs but I remained in my place. "I'll go start some hot cocoa. Thank God for gas stoves!" Lena disappeared into the kitchen with Mike following behind. That left Stef and me with Gibbs and his team.

"We have news about everything from today, and unfortunately, it isn't all good." Gibbs's voice left us in silence, dreading what was to come next.

 **So we're creeping up on 100 reviews! You guys are so awesome! I'm already getting started on the next chapter but let me know what you think about this one!**


	27. Nothing Would Make Me Happier

**Sorry for the long wait. School started up again and my life has gotten exceedingly busy over the last few weeks. On top of that I'm still recovering from ACL surgery and I decided it wouldn't necessarily be a good idea to write while I was high on medication. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Stef's POV**

"Just say it." Callie's voice was emotionless and her expression matched. "Whatever it is, just say it. And don't you dare sugar coat it." She stood completely still. Almost like her feet had been cemented to the ground.

"Well, we reviewed the security cameras with the local police department. Luckily everything that the students have told us and what you and your brother have been saying match up to what the tapes are showing us. You acted in self-defense and in the defense of others. The DA is going to look at all of the evidence but she has already been in contact with Director Vance. She doesn't plan on bringing any charges against you or Jude." Gibbs smiled weakly. We all knew that there was more to be said.

"But…?" Callie was growing impatient. I touched her arm to urge her to be remain calm.

"But… Director Vance has some concerns. He thinks that trouble seems to follow you. He believes that, for the time being, it will be detrimental for you to continue working at NCIS. I'm sorry, Cal. But he put in your paperwork for termination." His eyes fell to the floor clearly upset by the news he had to deliver.

Callie remained stoic. Her jaw clenched and her eyes flared with rage, but she did not breakdown or act out in anger, even though she had a good reason to.

"You are always welcome to come by, Callie. We want to remain in your life and we want you to remain in ours. You're a part of the family." Ziva cupped Callie's hand in her own, but Callie retracted it immediately.

"I'm going to go upstairs and get some blankets for everyone." She turned on her heel and disappeared up the dark stairs.

"Stef, we're so sorry. Vance said he would reevaluate in a year. But for right now it just isn't going to work. If she needs letters of recommendation, we would all be happy to write a book for her." DiNozzo stepped forward with a look of genuine sorrow on his face. "We really love that girl."

I wiped a tear away before it had a chance to fall. "I'd like to say it's okay, but I just can't right now. I know that your director is doing what he believes is best for the agency, but this was good for her. She really felt like she was going to make a difference. And we are so thankful to all of you for everything you've done for her. You have made such a huge impact on her."

"Cocoa is ready!" Lena's voice called from the kitchen. We all shared sad smiles and filed into the slightly warmer kitchen. The kids, save Callie, came down soon after with loads of blankets, sweaters, and pillows. Everyone gladly excepted the extra layers and savored the warm drinks.

DiNozzo glanced around the room looking for his son. "Where are Jude and Connor?"

"They were upstairs talking when we came down." Jesus chugged his hot chocolate and filled it back up immediately.

"Well, at least they're talking again." Tony inhaled the sweet smell of the cocoa and was completely oblivious to the worried looks he was receiving.

"What does that mean? Were they fighting?" Lena's face grew concerned.

"Connor said that he and Jude had a minor falling out a little while ago. They apparently didn't talk for a few days. Connor wasn't exactly sure what happened." Tony looked genuinely blindsided. "I figured Jude would have talked to the two of you about it."

The room quickly fell silent, concerned for the two youngest members of our troupe upstairs.

"I should go check on them." Lena set her cup down but I grabbed her hand to stop her.

"We should let them try and work it out. If they need something one of them will come get one of us." I rubbed her hand gently to try and calm her nerves. "Jesus, B; why don't the two of you go find the air mattresses. We're going to have a full house tonight and it would be nice if everyone were comfortable."

The boys nodded and slowly climbed the stairs.

"We don't have to stay. We really wouldn't want to put you out." Ducky shook his head. The entire team was worried that we would be inconvenienced by their overnight presence.

"You are absolutely staying. It would worry us sick if you tried to drive in this blizzard." Lena put the conversation to rest and the room became silent once again.

 **Jude's POV**

After mom asked to get the blankets I soon realized that Jesus wasn't the only company I had in my room. I turned around and saw Connor awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Dude, you can come in if you want." Jesus invited him in and he slowly walked to my desk and sat in my chair.

We remained silent while Jesus and I gathered blankets and warm clothes.

"Cocoa is ready!" Mama's voice rang up the stairs and filled the awkward stillness that was between us.

"Okay, well I'm going to go down and hand these out. You guys coming?" Jesus peaked over the mountain of blankets in his arms waiting for our response.

I glanced over at Connor and his eyes pleaded with me. "We're going to stay up here and talk for a little bit."

Jesus left without another word leaving Connor and me to the conversation that I had been avoiding.

"Jude, I'm sorry if I caught you off guard the other day. I know that I just threw it out there but it was killing me to keep it inside." Connor stood up from my desk and took a step towards me but I retreated closer to my bed. "Have I done something that made you uncomfortable?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. "Connor, it's not you. You are so great and I really like you too. But, I have so many demons in my closet. My life is so screwed up and I'm most likely going to get arrested for what happened today." I sat on my bed and hung my head in my hands. "I don't want you getting mixed up in this disaster."

"No! You don't get to do that!" Connor became angry. "I get to decide if your life is too much for me. And I can tell you right now that it isn't. My dad has been a cop for my entire life. I know what danger is. Hell, I've lived through my fair share of it." His face softened and he knelt in front of me. "Jude, I've never had a connection to anyone like I do to you. You make me smile. And for the first time in a long time the smile is real and it isn't forced."

I looked up to this boy who I had only known for a short while and knew he was telling me the truth. I felt the connection too but I was too afraid to do anything about it.

"Connor, I have to tell you something. It isn't going to be easy for you to hear but if you want this to progress then it is only fair for you to be aware of this." I took a deep breath and curled in on myself. "The night that you and Tony found me… I wasn't mugged. I know that's what I told you, but I was too embarrassed to tell you the truth. I was… I was raped that night." A tear sped down my cheek and stopped on my chin.

Connor remained silent. Fear, anger, and sadness flashed in his eyes like lightning. "Who did that to you? I'm going to find that son of a bitch and shove my foot down this throat." He jumped to his feet and started pacing the floor.

I was surprised by his immediate anger. We really didn't know each other that well but his fury over my attack was surprisingly comforting. "Connor, just sit down." I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to my bed. "Just listen to me. I don't want to give specifics because it's still just too painful, but I'll try to answer any questions you have."

Connor seemed to calm down a bit and was finally regaining his composure. "What's happening to him? They arrested him, right?"

My heart sank to my stomach. "No, he wasn't arrested. He fled to France which is non-extraditable. They can't deport him back to the United States. But if he leaves France any time in the next five years he'll be arrested." A tear slipped down my face and rested on the bow of my lip.

"Jude… I-I'm so sorry that that happened to you. I hate that you're hurting. What can I do to make it better?" Connor's voice was soothing. All I wanted to do was cry with this boy that I had only known for a short period of time.

I smiled sadly. "I want whatever we have to grow. I want to know you, the good and the bad. I want you to become a bigger part of my life. But I want to take it slow. I know you have feelings for me and I do for you too. I want to be more than friends with you, but I don't think we should jump right into a relationship. Can we do that?"

Connor looked up at me with wet hazel eyes. "Nothing would make me happier."


	28. Family

**Callie's POV**

Gibbs's words kept running through my head.

 _He put in your paperwork for termination._

I sat on my bed and replayed the day over and over again in my head. A tear escaped my eye and fell down on my hand.

"Mind if I join you?" Stef's voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was holding a large mug and had a fluffy blanket draped over her shoulders.

I nodded silently and scooted towards the wall. I wiped away my tears and accepted both the blanket and the mug which was filled with hot cocoa.

"How are you, my love?" Stef sat next to me and pulled the blanket over her legs as well.

I shrugged my shoulders and tried to scoot away from her, but she grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Callie, today was extremely hard. I can't even begin to imagine what is going through your mind right now. Mama and I want you to know that you do not have to be strong right now. Nothing with this situation is okay. We don't expect you to try and be okay. But I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I won't be mad, I promise. I just want to try and understand." She rubbed circles on my hand to try and calm my racing heart.

"I just don't even know what to think. Mom, I killed two people today and injured another. How can I ever be okay?" I laid my head on Stef's shoulder and closed my eyes, trying to erase the images that were flooding my mind.

"Have I ever told you the story about the first time I fired my weapon?"

I shifted my head so I could look up at her. "No, you really haven't told me any stories."

She smiled and wrapped her arm around me. "I was fresh out of the academy. It was the first month that I was on the job and I was dispatched to a domestic violence call. My partner told me that I was going to take the lead on it. We pulled up in the driveway and ran up to the house with our weapons drawn. The dispatcher had told us that the caller informed her of a gun in the house. My heart was beating out of my chest. I kicked in the door and started yelling for everyone to get on the ground with their hands on their heads. Kids were screaming, the wife was crying, and the husband was yelling at us to get out of his house." She tightened her grip on me and took a deep breath. "The man pulled a revolver out of his waistband and I fired on him. My hands were shaking and he moved just in time. Their youngest son walked around the corner at the right time. The bullet hit him in the leg." She wiped away a tear and continued. "He was rushed to the hospital but he died during surgery."

The room fell quiet. The heavy silence was weighing on my chest as I tried to figure out what to say. But, Stef beat me to it.

"I didn't tell you that story to try and make you feel better. I told you that because I want you to know that I know how it feels to kill someone. That wasn't the only time I've had to shoot my weapon. I've fired and hit people directly in the chest. I know that it can be part of my job and you should never have had to do that, but you aren't alone here. I'll try to help you in any way I can." She kissed the top of my head and adjusted to blankets that were strewn out among us.

"I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight." My voice was weak and I was on the verge of yet another breakdown. "I'm scared that more of the chips are going to be faulty and they are going to come looking for us."

"Jude is going to monitor the chips, my love. I hate that you're stressing over this but we're going to keep this under control. I promise."

I sighed deeply, not really believing anything she was saying. "Is everyone still here?"

"Yes, they are going to stay until the storm dies down. But you don't have to see them if you don't want."

"Will you ask Ziva to come up here? I just want to talk to her for a little bit." I pulled myself to a sitting position and grasped my upper left arm and winced.

Stef pulled my shirt away from my arm to get a better look at the wound caused by Robin's bullet. "We need to get this cleaned up. It isn't bad but we should get a bandage on it. Why don't you go sit in the bathroom and I'll go get the first aid kit?" She kissed the top of my head and helped me to my feet.

As she walked out of my room to retrieve the first aid kit from downstairs, I took a seat on the edge of the tub and removed my shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror, amazed at how many scars littered my skin. Some were barely noticeable while some were impossible to miss. Bullets, shards of glass, fists, and scalpels all left their marks on my skin, reminding me of every memory I wanted to forget. I ran my fingers over the newer scars, thankful they were healing properly unlike the older ones I'd gained at New Intelligence.

A soft knock at the door forced me from my thoughts.

"Can I come in?" I was expecting Stef's voice to be on the other side of the door but was shocked when I was met with Ziva's.

"Yeah, sure." My own voice was quiet and distant.

Ziva pushed the door open just enough to slip through into the dimly lit bathroom. She set down a large flashlight on the bathroom sink and set the first aid kit in front of her.

"Stef said you wanted to talk. And I figured I could take this wound dressing off of her hands." Ziva pulled some antiseptic from the box along with some gauze, tape, and medical scissors.

"You were trained by Mossad in Israel when you were little, right?"

Ziva froze in place, contemplating how to answer my question. She cleaned away the dried blood from the cut on my arm and began to wrap it in the soft gauze. "Yes, I was. My father trained my siblings and I from a very young age." Even though the room was dark I could see the battle behind her eyes.

"Did you feel robbed of your childhood? Or were you able to do normal 'kid' things?" I winced as she applied pressure to ensure the bleeding had stopped.

"When I got older I sometimes felt like my youth was stolen from me. But, we were able to run and play like 'normal' children. However, our lives were far from normal." She put a single piece of tape on the gauze and handed me my shirt. "I know you know what that feels like so I won't try and explain it to you. Callie, whatever you want to ask me… you can. You know that, right?" Ziva wrapped the blanket around both of us and took my hand in hers.

I took a deep breath and leaned my head on her shoulder. "I want to forget it all. Every night I go to bed and dream that I am back at New Intelligence. I see the people I trained to be killers, I see the people who have been at the other end of my weapons, and I see the monster I've become. If I have Jude activate the chip in my brain… I can forget all of it. I can have a normal life and be okay again."

The room was eerily quiet and only our even breaths filled the silence.

"Callie, you are a smart girl. You are the smartest person I know! Tell me what would happen if Jude activated that chip. Not the good things… the not so good things."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to think about it. "I would forget my family. I would forget Jude. I would forget you and Gibbs and everyone else. I would forget me."

"Do you want to forget all of that? I know that what happened to you at New Intelligence is awful. But is forgetting that part of your life really worth forgetting all of the people who love you? Is it worth not being able to create memories with these people?"

"I don't know!" I jumped to my feet and paced around the small bathroom. "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here. I have so much to lose either way. No matter what path I choose I'll lose so much." I slumped down on the floor and didn't even try to stop the hot tears that streamed down my face.

Ziva sighed and sat down next to me once again. "I am so sorry that you are hurting in this way. I wish that I could make it all go away. I wish that there was an obvious choice, but there is not. I think this is something that you have to talk over with your family. Pray to whatever God you believe in to give you guidance. You do not have to make a decision tonight. You do not have to make a decision any time soon. Take all of the time that you need. This is a life changer, Callie." Ziva kissed my temple and pulled me close to her again.

The two of us sat in the dark bathroom huddled together under a warm blanket. Our breathing synchronized and for the first time that day my world finally slowed down. I looked around the bathroom at the silly pictures of my siblings and I. I saw the mess of Mariana's makeup strewn across the shelves and the shaving cream and razor that Brandon thought he needed but really didn't. The markings of my family were so prominent even in that little bathroom. I couldn't imagine a world where I couldn't recognize those things.

I didn't need time to think about my decision. It was clear and obvious to me.

All of the pain in the world was worth being a part of that crazy, loud, loving family. I would take all of the suffering I endured to get to them a hundred times more if it meant I could stay with them forever. They were my family. They were engrained in me just as I was engrained in them. And nothing would ever change that.


	29. Trying

**Callie's POV**

 _Three days later_

 _They said that the blizzard that came through DC was the worst one in over a century. The power went out the night of the shooting and we still have it back. Luckily we have a generator that can power a small portion of the house. But it's pretty cold and miserable. School is cancelled and we can't leave the house because it's still storming. It let up a little bit a couple days ago and the NCIS team was able to leave._

 _I still can't believe that Director Vance fired me. I didn't ask to get pulled into any of this! Working at NCIS was going to be so good for me. I never even got the chance to train anyone. I could teach them so much. I could help them! This whole situation pisses me off so much. This was supposed to be the start of a better part of my life. Why did this have to happen?_

"Mind if I come in?" Stef's words pulled me away from my journal. She was standing in the doorway to my and Mariana's room holding two thermoses.

I smiled and nodded, eagerly accepting the warm drink. She sat down next to me on my bed and we huddled together under my warm blankets. We sat in silence for a short while, slowly sipping our apple ciders.

"You've been a little MIA the past couple of days. How are you doing, my love?" Stef pulled me close and I laid my head on her shoulder, welcoming her security.

I sighed deeply before answering. "I'm okay. I've just been thinking about what I'm going to do now that I don't have a job and I'm not in school."

"Mama and I have been talking about this and we were thinking that you should take some time to heal yourself. You have had a lot of injuries lately and you really haven't had much time to heal completely. I mean you've been shot four times in the last 6 months! I can't imagine how that physically tolling that must be let alone mentally and emotionally. What do you think about starting therapy again? I know we talked about it about a week ago, but so much has happened since then." She drew little circles on the back of my hand as she spoke, trying to calm me before I got worked up.

I closed my eyes and tried to stop the flashbacks to my therapy sessions at New Intelligence. I couldn't help but feel the cold stiffness of the room and the awkwardness of disclosing my assaults to a man I barely knew. My heart started to race and my palms became sweaty as images of my past flooded my mind.

"Hey, come back to me Cal. Stay with me, love." Stef's calm voice slowly brought me back to my reality.

My voice was quiet as I spoke. "I'm scared." I admitted, just above a whisper.

"Scared of what?"

"I'm scared of what I will have to say to the therapist. I'm scared of what they'll say to me. I'm scared that more chips are going to go haywire and more rogue agents are going to try and hurt you guys. I'm scared to go to sleep tonight. I'm scared that Jude is never going to be the same again. And I'm scared that… that you and Lena are going to see Jude and me for who we really are and send us away." Hot tears streamed down my face and I felt myself try and recoil from Stef's touch.

She gently took my thermos from me and set it on my night stand with her own. She pulled me closer and wrapped both of her strong arms around me, enveloping me in a tight embrace of love and safety. "Callie, you have every right to be afraid of those things. I hope you don't feel that those fears are unfounded. You don't have to say anything to your therapist that you aren't ready to say. And if they say anything to you that makes you uncomfortable, just tell me or mama and we'll find you someone new. Jude is going to keep an eye out on those chips and make sure that nothing happens. It might take a little while but he's going to come back to you. Mama and I are making sure that he gets all of the help and support that he needs. And, Callie, I don't want you to ever think that we would ever send you away. We love you and your brother more than you could ever imagine! We can't understand fully what either of you are going through, but we know that it's hard and we want to love you through it. Think you can help us do that?"

I smiled and snuggled closer to her. "I'll try. And I suppose I'll give therapy a try. I can't make you any promises, but I'll give it a go."

She kissed the top of my head and hugged me tight. We laid there for a few minutes in silence. We were both on the brink of sleep when there was a knock on my door.

"Mom?" Jesus's voice called from the entry. "There are two police officers at the front door. They said that they're looking for Callie and Jude."

 **Sorry for the short chapter! I wanted to get** ** _something_** **out there since I haven't written in a long time. I'm trying to get back into writing this story, but it is going to be sporadic. College is very stressful and time consuming after all! What would you like to see in the coming chapters? I have an idea for the next couple (I think), but I want to try and incorporate your ideas! Leave me some reviews or send me a message on what you'd like to see!**


	30. Power

**I think for the rest of this story I'm going to keep the point of view from Callie's perspective. I might do a couple from someone else's POV, but it will most likely stay from Callie's view.**

"There are two police officers at the front door. They said that they're looking for Callie and Jude." Jesus's words felt like a hot knife in my gut.

Stef squeezed my hand gently and led me down the stairs. There stood two tall police officers with broad shoulders and stern gazes.

Jude stood at the foot of the stairs as still as a statue. Lena, Mariana, Brandon, and Jesus stood in a close group in the living room with worry plastered across their faces.

"Jude and Callie Jacob?" One of the officers' voiced boomed throughout the house. "My name is Detective Samuelson. We have a report that says we are to inform the two of you if any progress has been made in an open rape case."

My heart dropped to my stomach and I gripped Jude's hand tightly.

"Progress has been made on my case?" Jude's voice was low and quiet. His eyes were trained on the floor and I could see tears threatening to spill over.

"James Link, the suspect in your assault, has been apprehended. He left France a week ago and was arrested in Italy. He has been extradited to the United States and is currently sitting in one of our interrogation rooms." Detective Samuelson spoke slowly, allowing us to soak in all of his words.

"Why? Why was he arrested? Were people looking for him? I can't believe that one rape case would take such high priority." Jude rubbed his brow as he spoke. He walked towards the living room and sat down on the recliner with is head in his hands. We all followed and silently filled the room.

"It turns out that the DNA found from your case was matched to several open rape and assault cases. He was arrested for aggravated assault. They ran his name through their system and found out that he has several warrants out for his arrest in the US. Our cases take priority but he will still be tried in the Italian Supreme Court."

"So what does this mean? Is there going to be a trial? Does Jude have to testify or identify him?" My voice was rather monotone. I wanted that bastard put in prison for the rest of his life but I didn't want Jude to go through any more pain.

"We would like Jude to look at some pictures and try to identify James. It would be one more nail in his coffin. There is a lot of damning evidence in all of his cases, but we need all of the help we can get to make sure this creep is put away for a long time."

The room fell silent and our eyes all fell on Jude.

"Okay, let's just get this over with." Jude took a tablet from Detective Samuelson's partner and started swiping through images. His face was hard as he looked through mugshots. I knew he would be able to identify his attacker. New Intelligence trained us to never forget a face. "This one. This is James Link." He handed the tablet back.

I quickly scanned the picture and committed it to memory.

"You're absolutely positive?" Detective Samuelson continued when he received a nod from Jude. "Okay, can you tell me where you recognize this man from?"

Jude let one tear fall from his eyes before he spoke. "That's the bastard that raped me."

I watched Jude as he retreated in on himself. He stayed seated while Stef and Lena shook the detectives' hands and showed them to the door. I think I heard them say that they would be in touch soon about the trial, but I was too concerned with my baby brother and his state of mind.

"Want to tell me what's running through that head of yours?"

He shook his head and darted up the stairs, slamming his door behind him.

"He's going to be okay. This takes a while to process." Stef and Lena sat on either side of me.

"I know, Stef. We've had to process a crap load in our lifetime. I know what it's like to process something this painful!" I jumped up from the couch and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, just pissed at this situation."

Even though my back was turned to them I knew Stef and Lena were having a silent conversation. Lena sighed and got up from the couch. She walked over to me and kissed me gently on my temple. I heard her climb the stairs quietly. I figured she was going to talk to Jude.

"Cal, please come sit by me. I want to talk." Stef's voice was gentle but I knew that her statement was non-optional.

I wiped away tears that had collected in the corners of my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and returned to my place on the couch.

"I know that you are concerned about Jude. Mama and I are too. I need you to believe me when I tell you that we are going to get him all of the help that he needs. I promise you that he will be taken care of. Do you understand me?" Stef paused and stared at me until I nodded. "Good. Mama and I did some research last night and we found a therapist for you. She's worked with the police department several times. I trust her completely. And she has an opening tomorrow and one in the afternoon. I don't work tomorrow so I'm going to take you, weather permitting."

Panic inched up my back with every word that she spoke. Deep inside I knew that I had to go, but every part of me was resisting. "She's going to think I'm crazy." My voice was quiet and shaky as I spoke.

Stef pulled me close to her and held me tightly. "Oh my sweet love, she's not going to think you are crazy. Do you know why? Because you _aren't_ crazy. You and your brother have been through more in your short lifetimes than anyone should have to go through in six lifetimes! I promise you, she will understand. Please give this a shot. I truly believe that it will help you get better."

I nodded, even though I was still very apprehensive. My reluctance was growing by the second but I knew I didn't have a different option.

We stayed sitting together for a couple minutes, but the comfort of our bond was interrupted by fast, heavy footsteps on the stairs followed by slower softer ones. Lena was calling out to someone but there was no answer. Her words morphed into unintelligible mumbles when the two reached the kitchen and were cut off by a loud slam of the back door.

Stef and I shared a look, both knowing who Lena was chasing after. We made our way into the kitchen and found her staring out the window above the sink.

"What's going on?" Stef gently rubbed Lena's back and sighed when she caught sight of the object of Lena's gaze.

I too looked out the window and saw my baby brother making his way through the snow to the garage. He had his laptop under one arm and his backpack slung across the opposite shoulder. Headphones covered his ears and I just knew that the music he was listening to was loud enough to deafen him.

"I went up to his room to check on him but he wouldn't even look at me. He just sat on his bed like a statue." Lena wiped a tear away from her face. "I tried to give him a hug but he nearly jumped clear across the room. He started shoving things in his book bag and darted out of the room. I tried to stop him but he's just so damn fast."

I stifled a laugh and my foster mothers turned to look at me. "Sorry, I just don't think I've ever heard you swear, Lena." They both smiled at me but they quickly turned back to the window and sighed sadly when they heard the garage door slam. "He gets like this sometimes. He'll be in a funk for a few days but it will gradually get better. He isn't trying to be mean to disrespectful to anyone. This is just his way of coping with his pain."

The lights flickered a few times but eventually stayed on and the furnace started roaring to life.

"We have power!" Jesus came bounding down the stairs and ran around the house turning on every light on his way.

Mariana and Brandon followed shortly behind with huge smiles on their faces. Mariana quickly plugged her charger into an outlet and did a little happy dance when her phone began to turn on.

"Well, I guess this calls for a little celebratory dinner! Mom and I will get started on it. Why don't you kids go get cleaned up. We'll call for you when it's ready." Lena ushered us out of the kitchen with a big smile on her face.

The four of us ran up the stairs, relishing in the warmth coming from the vents. It was strange that something as small as the power coming back on could put everyone in such a good mood. But for the first time in several days everyone's smiles and laughter were genuine. My heart sang with all of the happiness that filled the air. But it panged with sadness knowing that my little brother was sitting in a cold garage alone and hurting.


	31. Brawl

**We're almost to 100 reviews! I apologize for so many breaks and hiatuses. School is very overwhelming for me right now so I don't really have a lot of time to write. But I will try to update as often as possible as long as there is still interest in the story. Please leave me some reviews! It makes my day to read what y'all have to say!**

 **Don't forget that everything will be from Callie's POV unless otherwise noted.**

"Cal, will you go out to the garage and tell Jude that dinner is ready?" Lena rubbed my back gently and told Mariana to take my place setting the table.

I smiled softly as I walked towards the back door. Cold air rushed towards me when I pushed the door open and I wrapped my sweater around myself, trying to block out the harsh winds. I knocked on the door before I entered but Jude didn't look up from his computer when I walked in.

"Dinner is ready. Lena made chicken and noodles." I hovered by the door, hoping he would respond to me. But after a few minutes of awkward silence I continued. "Stef and Jesus made some brownies so we'll have dessert too. And there's salad, rolls, and mixed veggies. You like vegetables, right Jude?"

He stopped browsing on his computer for a second and I saw him look to the side at me, but only briefly. I sighed and walked over to him. As soon as I was close enough to see his laptop he slammed it shut.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" His voice was quiet but he spoke harshly. "Tell Lena I said thank you for making dinner but I'm not hungry. And I would appreciate it if everyone would just leave me the hell alone. I don't want to talk to anyone. Just go away."

Suddenly I was enraged. "Jude, knock it off! I know that this sucks! I know that you're hurting. We've gone through so much crap lately and it sucks beyond all belief. But you are going to come inside and eat dinner with our family. It is going to do you no good to sit out here in this freezing garage all by yourself. You don't have to talk to anyone but get your ass inside right now or I'm going to drag you. And don't you dare test me. You know I can still kick your ass." I jumped up from the small couch and pointed towards the door angrily.

Jude glared up at me. He clenched his jaw and tightened his hands into fists. I momentarily thought that he was going to try and hit me but he reached down and shoved his laptop into his bag. He slung that bag over his shoulder and pushed passed me into the cold.

I followed closely behind and caught the door to the house just before he slammed it on me. He sat down on his stool and rested his head in his arms.

Everyone gave me confused looks but I just shook my head and mouthed _just leave him be._

We ate rather silently. The joy from the power coming back on quickly left everyone as memories from the shooting were surely playing through everyone's heads. It'd only been a couple days after all. And I for one was thinking about the upcoming trial of that bastard, James Link. I wanted nothing more than to march down to the jail and kick his ass.

Lena finally broke the silence when he directed a question towards Jude. "So, Jude, what were you working on out there? Do you have an assignment for one of your classes?"

He mumbled something but no one could understand him.

"Come on dude, speak up!" Stef said jokingly.

Jude slowly lifted his head and glared at Lena. "I said mind your own damn business."

Mariana's jaw nearly hit the table and Jesus almost choked on his food. The room fell silent, waiting for Stef or Lena to speak.

" _Excuse me?_ " Stef's voice was laced with anger. "You apologize this instant, young man!"

Jude's glare just intensified at that. "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my real mom."

"That's enough, Jude!" I slammed my fist down on the table and whipped around violently so I was facing him. "Apologize to them right now!"

We bore daggers into each other, neither of us willing to back down. I was so furious that I was visibly shaking.

I finally had enough. I grabbed Jude by the collar of his shirt and yanked him away from the table. He tried to fight me off but I was already stronger than him and my adrenaline was pumping so furiously through my body that no one could have stopped me. I dragged him outside and shoved him towards the snow.

"You want to get pissed at someone? Get pissed at me! I don't care! Yell at me, scream at me! You have no right to treat Stef and Lena that way. All they do is care for us and make sure we are safe and happy. So if you need to throw a punch or scream until you're blue in the face, do it to me. I can handle it!"

Jude picked himself up from the fluffy snow. He brushed the white powder off of his sweatshirt and started to pace back and forth. He was heaving and running his fingers through his hair angrily. Suddenly he turned towards me with one of the evilest glares I'd ever seen.

"I hate you! I hate you so much!" Jude's words struck me. He had never once told me that he hated me. I was so caught off guard that I didn't have time to react when he charged me. He picked me up and threw me into a snow pile. As soon as I was on my feet he came running towards me again. Luckily I was quick enough this time and I avoided his tackle. "You're such a bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

It was in that moment that I realized that Jude wasn't telling _me_ that he hated me. I was just a stand-in for James Link. I knew he needed to get out all of the aggression that had been building up.

"Okay, you need to fight? Let's fight!" I ran at my brother and knocked him to the ground. He quickly regained his footing and started throwing punches at me. I deflected them as best I could but he got a couple good shots in to my ribs.

We went at it for several minutes. We would throw a few punches at each other's ribs or straight the gut and sometimes we ended up wrestling the other one to the ground. I started to realize that the punches he was throwing weren't as powerful as I knew them to be.

He took a step forward as he threw a punch but I grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back. I kicked the back of his knees which sent him face first into a snow pile. I rolled him over and held him down on the ground.

"Don't you dare take it easy on me, Bravo. Fight like you were taught! Give me everything you've got. Do you understand me?!" I screamed in his face trying to get his blood boiling even more than it already was.

His face hardened and he threw me off of him. I rolled onto my side but he quickly pulled me to my feet. The grip he had on me was stronger than it ever had been before. Jude and I had engaged it several rounds of combat at New Intelligence and we trained right alongside each other so I was very aware of his limits and capabilities. This was something I had never seen before.

Jude grabbed me by the collar of my shirt to hold me in place and swung his fist so fast that I barely had time to register what was happening. His hand was like a rock as it smashed into my jaw. I fell into the snow once and held my face as pain radiated through it.

I heard a scream but I knew it wasn't mine or Jude's. It was then that I realized the rest of our family had been watching us brawl in the backyard.

He dropped down next to me and held his fist in the air. I was waiting for it to slam into my face once again, but it never came. I hadn't realized it but I'd been squeezing my eyes shut. I slowly opened them and looked up to see my brother kneeling next to me with tears streaming down his face.

"I hate him so much." Jude muttered. He slammed his fist into the hard ground before falling down next to me. He rolled towards me and buried his face in my shoulder.

I put a protective arm around him and let him cry into me. In that moment I couldn't feel the pain in my ribs or in my jaw. I couldn't even feel the cold snow. The only thing I could feel was happiness. My brother just took his first step towards healing.

 **Don't forget to leave a review! I have an idea that will come out in the next few chapters. Do you want me to keep the NCIS characters in the story or should I faze them out? And what do you want to see of Jude and Connor's relationship? Do you think Callie should have a love interest or not? Is there anything that you would like me to incorporate? Let me know!**


End file.
